A Touch of Evil
by DaggersBloodPain
Summary: Slash: What if the Chamber of Secrets events didn't turn out the same? A secret learned will make it so Harry will find himself growing up yearning for the touch of evil. Eventual Dark!Harry main pairing HP/LV more possible.
1. Time is Fleeting

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain  
**

**Summary**: This is a slash story that will follow a course of events set in motion in the Chamber of Secrets at the end of Harry's second year. This is what may have happened had Harry not saved Ginny and Voldemort was able to return as his 16 year old self. Harry will have to chose who to give his loyalty, power, and love to. This story will go into the nature of Darkness, tinged with a spark of evil, and this will include the bashing of several Light sided wizards.

Other featured characters: Severus in a mentoring role, Draco with a conscience, Neville with a bit more backbone, and Hermione who thinks for herself.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter and related characters, they are the intellectual property of J.K. Rowling and I am very thankful she allows people like me to play with her stories.

**Possible Pairings**: HP/LV, HP/TR, LM/SS, HP/DM, with the potential for switching around within those.

**Rating: strong M.** rating is not a joke this story will involve Slash sex, violence, pain, child abuse, and possible S/M tendencies.

**Chapter One**

**Time is Fleeting**

(Time Warp- Rocky Horror Picture Show)**  
**

Harry felt himself tire as he fought the 60 foot long basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. Even with the aid of Fawkes, and the golden sword from the sorting hat, he didn't think he was going to be able to beat the monstrous creature.

After a long battle and despite his fears he finally managed to defeat the snake. His moment of elation was short lived when he saw the foot long fang embedded in his arm. As the poison was running through his veins, and Fawkes was getting closer to him, he whispered two words."You win."

Harry had spoken to the only other conscious person in the Chamber. Harry didn't realize that the basilisk venom running through his blood stream made his words morph into Parseltongue. The bad part about that was, while Harry didn't realize he had spoken in the snake tongue, his attacker did.

Tom Riddle was the reincarnation of 16 year old Lord Voldemort, the youthful Dark Lord had returned using a piece of memory lodged in his cursed diary. Riddle was the person responsible for the battle against the basilisk. The development of Harry possessing the snake tongue had him entirely and utterly shocked, his informant hadn't told him that before trying to destroy the diary, now there was a question he wanted the answer to. How had this boy gained the gift of Parseltongue? It was thought that only Slytherin descendants were capable of understanding the language of snakes.

Voldemort watched with interest as the phoenix was crying pearly tears onto Harry's wounded arm. He realized that the solidification of his body was complete at the exact moment Harry's arm healed and the boy's emerald eyes opened.

The first thing Harry thought when he woke up was that he should have been dead. Then he was able to focus on what surrounded him. The beautiful scarlet and gold plumage of the phoenix was what drew his attention first.

"Thanks Fawkes," Harry said to the bird, speaking in English this time.

Then Harry noticed the other occupant in the room. He was surprised to see the man he had feared since entering the wizarding world explore his own body with his hands. There was a look of wonder on his face that was reminiscent of a small child satisfying a happy curiosity.

The small smile on the Dark Lord's face was what really worried Harry.

The Dark Lord spoke soon after Harry noticed his expression. "Harry Potter you are too late, your friend is dead, and I live. Now I am going to kill you, but I want answers first. Where did you learn the snake language?" He demanded.

"I have always been able to understand it, I didn't learn it anywhere." Harry answered trying to keep the Dark Lord distracted while he searched for an escape route.

"No one outside of Slytherin's bloodline has had the ability. No Potter has ever been in that line." Voldemort said indignantly.

"Then look again!" Harry answered back brazenly, knowing he was pushing the limit of Voldemort's patience.

"Alright I will, **Revealo Geneolius!**" Voldemort cried bringing his wand down in a swift motion pointing it towards Harry.

Voldemort waited while the spell took affect. Harry's direct ancestors were listed in ascending order above his head in small glowing lettering. There it was. Several generations back before the time of Salazar there was indeed a link to the Slytherin line, it was just so old it wasn't readily available unless specifically searching for it.

That made Voldemort look Harry over appraisingly. Someone of Slytherin blood was hard to come by. He hated the thought of wasting it. What he saw when he looked at Harry was not disappointing. Even at this young age Harry showed signs of maturing handsomely. He had also fought well against the basilisk, going so far as killing it, something no other twelve year old could have done. His magic was strong. Voldemort could tell that just from being in the general area of the boy.

It was time to see if something could be worked out. "Well this is certainly an interesting development." He mused aloud to Harry. "I had planned on just killing you and being done with the whole mess, but blood such as ours shouldn't be wasted. If you join me that repulsive event will not come to pass." Voldemort offered.

"ARE YOU MAD? YOU KILLED MY PARENTS! NO WAY IN HELL AM I GOING TO JOIN YOU!" Harry screamed.

"That's too bad. Well Harry, what do you think is going to happen to you when your little friends discover you couldn't save her?" Voldemort said as he gestured to the pile of robes that contained the body of Ginny.

"They are my friends, they will understand that I couldn't do it." Harry said as his voice lost some of it's bravado.

"Care to put it to the test? Fine. I will let you go now. I know what you're thinking and yes I have a reason for doing this. I will find it all the sweeter to see my biggest rival come to me on bended knees because he found I was right. Wait until you see what the light side does to it's weapons that don't do what they are supposed to." Voldemort explained his plan with glee.

Harry knew it was stupid to trust the Dark Lord but he scrambled to leave anyway. He was not shocked when he felt a spell catch him and draw him back to Voldemort, what did shock him was what happened next. Voldemort dipped down and brushed their lips together. "Remember my offer." Voldemort whispered in his ear.

Then Harry found himself alone. He knew it was impossible to Apparate out of Hogwarts, but he knew it _was_ possible to make yourself invisible.

With this knowledge he was spurred into action. He collected Ginny's body and went back down the tunnel where he could hear Ron's efforts moving the rocks from the cave in. He felt dread at remembering the Dark Lord's words and frighteningly his lips still tingled where they had been pressed against Voldemort.


	2. To Wash Away What Happened Last

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Two**

**To Wash Away What Happened Last**

(A Beautiful Lie- 30 Seconds to Mars)**  
**

Harry was sitting shocked in McGonagall's office. All the Weasley's were present, along with Dumbledore and Snape. The deathly pale faces were a testament to their emotions as Harry was forced to recount his tale yet another time.

"What do you mean the Dark Lord let you go?" Snape asked incredulously after hearing that part of the story.

"He said he wanted to see his greatest enemy kneeling in front of him when his words are proven to be true. In all honesty that scared me because he had so much confidence in what he said. I really don't want him to be right." Harry told them all curling up tightly in his seat hugging his knees.

He hadn't told them about the kiss, even though his lips still burned from the touch. He was sure that if the people in this room ever found out about that moment Voldemort's predictions might just have more weight behind them. His instincts told him to stay silent and, in this case, he listened to them.

The narrowing of Snape's eyes was missed entirely while Harry was struggling to get control over his thoughts again. The dark potions master was wondering just how much information Harry was hiding. All the years he had played a double agent had taught him to read people like they were open books. The Potter boy was definitely hiding something, but fortunately for Harry he was too young for Legilimency to be used on him safely.

Snape knew that would change soon. When Potter was old enough he was determined to find out what secrets the boy was hiding. He didn't trust the bratty son of James Potter with any secret that was possibly damning to others, namely himself. Snape was already wondering when his long dormant Dark Mark would awaken with a painful vengeance. If Potter was telling the truth, his other master had returned. He wasn't sure when the call would come, Voldemort hadn't implemented the Dark Mark until after he had left Hogwarts. His new body wouldn't bare the mark, he will have to rebind himself to his own mark before he could call anyone.

Snape returned to the conversation going on around him just in time to hear the words that in the future would be recognized as beginning of the end.

"You were my friend Harry, and you let my sister die!" A grief stricken Ron said. The words themselves hurt Harry enough. He didn't need what came after it; wave upon wave of silence.

When no one corrected Ron, Harry came to realize Ron had just voiced the opinions of the rest of the people in the room. They were upset that the Boy Who Lived had failed to save the girl he had nearly died to protect.

Harry wouldn't know this until he grew up a little more and had more experience dealing with things like this, but very few, if any, of the people listening to his story believed he had conquered the basilisk by himself. In carrying Ginny's body the bloody sword was left in the chamber, and when Fawkes healed his bite all that was left was a scar too faint to be seen.

Dumbledore had listened to Harry with a grave expression on his face. He let his disappointment be known with a strategic retraction of the twinkle in his eyes. He knew Harry practically lived for his approval. He wanted it known he had expected Harry to be able to save Ginny, and he was currently not happy with Harry at all.

Hopefully it would be enough to make the boy easier to mold. The kind of power the boy would eventually be able to wield was too great just to leave in the hands of chance. It needed to be kept under control at all times. Harry simply couldn't be allowed to think for himself, that left way too many opportunities for all that power to slip between Dumbledore's aged fingers.

"Harry, I had hoped you would succeed tonight, but alas you are too young yet to shoulder this burden." Dumbledore said in his grandfatherly tone that fooled everyone in the room, with two exceptions.

Snape knew from experience that when Dumbledore wanted to chastise someone he used a tone that would let only the person he wanted to belittle understand the meaning behind the words.

The words to Harry cut like a knife in his soul. He had disappointed the man he thought of like a grandfather. The one that had brought him out of his horrible muggle life into this amazing world. Harry let his head hang in shame. That was possibly the worst thing he could imagine hearing. His despair was obvious to anyone who bothered to look.

Snape was using the Gryffindorish tendency to let emotions show to his advantage when he watched Harry's reaction to Dumbledore. He saw the guilt fall heavily on the boy's young face. The palpable waves of pain flowing off the boy didn't even make Dumbledore pause, but it did to Snape. He knew if one wanted to survive this war than it was best not to underestimate anyone or anything.

Potter's reaction was not the normal one a boy his age should have to those simple words. After all they spoke the truth, no twelve year old boy should have to even consider shouldering the burden of ridding the school of a basilisk. That obviously wasn't the part of Dumbledore's words that was upsetting Potter so bad. Snape's instincts told him it was the first part when Dumbledore had said he expected more from Potter. If Potter was doing all this to please the headmaster than the boy must feel he owed the Headmaster for something.

What could a second year student have done, or maybe was hiding, that would make them owe a debt to the Headmaster of his school? Students normally didn't have a one on one talk with Dumbledore until they either did something wrong or old enough they had something to offer worth his time. Even Snape had to admit he hadn't managed to catch Potter doing something bad enough to warrant a visit to the Headmaster's office.

Snape started to get angry thinking that Potter was getting special attention thanks to pure dumb luck when he looked back at the guilty face of the boy. Snape had known what dealing with Dumbledore could involve. At least he had been given a choice, and by all appearances Potter had not been given one.

"I tried to save her, if only I had gotten there just a few minutes earlier. I know I failed. I will do better next time." Harry groveled to the occupants of the room.

"I know you will Harry." Dumbledore replied. That was it, no gentle reassurance that a situation like this wouldn't happen again. No telling Harry not to be so hard on himself. That simple sentence from Dumbledore was encouraging Harry to always try and save everyone regardless of whether or not he survived the encounter. The harder Harry was pushed now the less orders he would need later.

Snape knew exactly what the Headmaster was doing. It was the same thing Dumbledore had pulled on him to make him turn spy. It took him years to decide which master he wanted to really serve, until then he worked both sides of the war. Even now he was sure that only one of his masters knew who had his true allegiance.

He took one last look at the boy who still had a look of abject guilt on his face. He then had to leave the room. He saw himself in that boy. Now Severus Snape was not a compassionate man. He definitely wasn't in to giving out comfort. What he could do for Potter was much simpler. He would teach the boy to question every order, every action. Never taking anything for granted. The most he could do for this boy was give him a choice in what to fight for in the war.


	3. Feel The Snake Bite Into My Veins

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Three**

**Feel The Snake Bite Into My Veins **

(Voodoo-Godsmack)**  
**

Snape awoke abruptly with a startled curse. The brand on his arm burned again signaling that the rise of his other master was more than myth. Rushing to gather the robes and mask he had thought to set out before going to sleep, he soon escaped the wards of Hogwarts and Apparated to the Dark Lord's side.

While waiting for the ones without prior warning to arrive he took the time to examine his Lord. The new body of Voldemort didn't look a day over 16. He had rich brown hair so dark it appeared black. His eyes were startling, as they were blood red, a result of his reincarnation process. He was a few inches above six feet tall and was not too heavily muscled.

His face was serene and had an uncanny resemblance to what Severus assumed the Potter brat might grow to look like. When Voldemort finally spoke his voice was rich and hypnotic. "Welcome back my most faithful servants. My experiments were a success, I have gotten my own body back as you can tell. In the process of reestablishing my body I have learned a few things.

Harry Potter should not be taken lightly. The boy has Slytherin blood and the snake language of Salazar. He is strong and would be a powerful ally to our side. Unfortunately Dumbledore has already sunk his claws in him. Harry was defending the man before the battle and afterward he was so sure he would be forgiven.

It was nauseating to hear the boy speak like that. I had been expecting Harry to deny my every word, but his actions told me he fully believed Dumbledore would consider it a failure that a twelve year old boy couldn't defeat a Basilisk in time to save his friend. He was trying to convince himself that Dumbledore would forgive him more than me." Voldemort informed the waiting Death Eaters, before calling out, "Severus Snape come forward!"

Snape came forward, dropped to his knees, and kissed the Dark Lord's robes. "Master," He intoned softly. The quality of his voice strangely ambiguous reaffirming the fact that no one knew who his true master was. He used the exact same tone of voice when he dealt with Dumbledore as well.

"Ah, my spy has chosen to return. Good, I have a task for you Snape." Voldemort said with a slight hiss on the 's' sounds in the sentence. "I want you to keep an eye on Potter. Keep him questioning his loyalties. This hero worship he has for Dumbledore is just sickening. I do not want to kill the boy, he is too useful, but I don't want a mindless drone either. Make him strong and deserving of the special blood he carries." Voldemort ordered.

"Yes master," Snape accepted his task easily. He had already planned on doing most of that already.

"You may rise Severus and return to your place." Voldemort dismissed the potions master then continued on to other business.

Snape returned to his place gratefully, he disliked being singled out. He had been unbelievably lucky in not managing to get himself Cruciod. Now he was free to think on Voldemort's words. Apparently Harry had gotten into quite the mess. He had managed to steal the Dark Lord's curiosity, not exactly the best thing to do if you want to live to an old age.

He was honestly starting to get nervous over the great number of parallels between himself and Potter that were starting to add up. Although Potter was a few years younger than he had been, they had both been fought over by Dumbledore _and_ Voldemort. He had hated being treated like some prize by both sides, and Harry Potter was trapped in the same battle.

When the rest of the Death Eaters were dismissed Snape was told to stay behind by Voldemort.

"Severus, follow me," The now younger lord led Severus through the manor the meeting was held at. Seemingly in line with Snape's thoughts Voldemort spoke again. "This manor belonged to my muggle of a father. It will work as a meeting place for now."

They reached a plush office where Voldemort offered Severus a chair. Sitting down himself, he spoke. "You can drop the act now Severus we both know your allegiance. I commend you on another masterful performance. Now fill me in on what the old coot has been doing for the past eleven years?" He commanded Severus to answer.

"Planning mainly, he inspected my Dark Mark the night you went away and knew you weren't going to stay gone. His plans began with the placement of your rival. Even at that young age the boy radiated power. He wanted that power but not if the boy was free to do as he wished with it. He never told us exactly how he would achieve it but something about where he placed the boy was supposed to keep Harry from having any free will.

It has worked as far as I can tell. He doesn't react to situations the way a normal boy his age would. I hate to say anything good about the spawn of Potter but he has potential, which you already know.

I wouldn't be surprised if he was under achieving. I noticed his scores are too consistent. Even Longbottom has areas where he only melts one cauldron a class instead of three. He acts oddly, almost like he knows where people expect his performance to be then only works at that level. He is currently almost failing my class when I know he could be at least average if not good at brewing. I have to keep up appearances so I haven't spoken to his other teachers about it but it seems like more of the same.

How exactly do you want me to carry out your orders? I refuse to be the boy's friend, let the rest of the wizarding world be that to him." Severus reported.

"I don't care for your insolence Snape. If I order you to do something you are to do it without question, but I do see your point. No one would ever believe you had a change of heart toward the boy so quickly. Do it gradually, gain the boys trust. I will even give you until the boy is of age for you to prepare him. I have never granted such time for a mission so use it wisely." Voldemort answered, crimson eyes swiriling in anger.

"Yes master," Severus replied subserviently.

"Remember this moment Severus, you will not receive another warning." He said as his eyes faded back to the steady red color. Even his voice softened for a while after he had gotten Severus to submit.

"I know you won't fail me Severus. You spend all day observing your potions, this gives you an edge over the rest of my ranks. You understand the value of patience and waiting for the right moment. I know your efforts to understand the Potter boy will not be in vain. I want him to be a warrior, not one of those hideous muggle robots. He is no use to us what so ever the way Dumbledore intends to raise him. I know he's a lot like you Severus, and I know that boy was born to lead not to follow. He has to posses a good amount of loyalty in him because the hat put him in Gryffindor despite his blood. Whoever receives that loyalty will get the boy's power and I want his mind intact. He will serve us because he chooses to, we just have to let him know what the differences between the sides are.

Mark my words Severus, that boy will grow to be our strongest ally. Dumbledore had his chance with the boy and he already wounded him. Now it's our turn, we mustn't break him. I want you to teach him and guide him. Foster the boy's trust in you and never, and I mean it, never break the boy's trust. If you must make Harry a promise make damn sure you keep it." Voldemort went over aloud what he had been pondering since he had met the boy.

He knew he was doing the right thing in his approach. The boy seemed to be a lot like himself. He was going to make sure the boy received the same treatment from his side that he had wished for as a boy. Not many knew this but Voldemort had also been used for his power. Dumbledore, back before all the fame and titles, had come to him the top student in the school. They had worked together to kill Grindelwald. In fact it had been Voldemort that had cast the final spell.

Then he was betrayed. While he was too weak to defend himself Dumbledore bound him to silence, and took all the credit for the death. When he was finally well again he attempted to get his share of the reward for killing Grindelwald. Dumbledore accused him of being Dark, and the rest of the wizarding world turned on him.

That is what created Voldemort. Before he was used and cast aside by the Light side he had kept his anti-muggle sentiments in check. He was able to push aside his horrible raising and try to tolerate them. For the good of the wizarding world as a whole he worked with prominent muggle supporters and in time may have overcome the hatred all together. Than Dumbledore pulled his stunt and Voldemort was left seething in anger. He watched from the side lines as more and more muggleborns landed in powerful positions, laws on magic and magical creatures became stricter; some to positively unreasonable levels. He watched them use their skewed muggle views to curb the true nature of magic to fit into their childhood story books. There had always been forbidden magics, ones no sane wizard touched, but labels like Light and Dark were descriptive terms, not political lines. With every new law passed limiting magic, there were less ways the traditional minded purebloods could defend themselves.

By distancing himself from the front lines of the debate he was able to see the damage being done, and because he was already the Light's evil scapegoat, he had nothing to loose by using lethal means of fighting the problem. Like minded Purebloods followed, many of whom he had known in school before working with Dumbledore when he still harbored the hatred of muggles he would soon become famous for. The name Lord Voldemort had been around since those Hogwarts days, just because Dumbledore had managed to soften his anger at muggles in general for awhile didn't mean he was willing to carry the name of the man who abandoned his mother and himself.

"Severus." He said dropping most of the Dark Lord pretense. "This body feels wrong to me after so long as just vapor. Help me to feel again?" This was undoubtedly a request, not a command. Voldemort, Dark Lord or not, didn't force his attentions on anyone. Out of all the crimes he had been accused of rape wasn't one of them. His Death Eaters indulged themselves on raids occasionally, but never Voldemort himself.

"I understand master," Severus said revealing once and for all his taste for men, and this man in particular.

That night Severus made love to his one true master, and Voldemort got to really feel his sixteen year old body once more. It wasn't a very well known fact that the Dark Lord was homosexual. In fact the only people who knew that piece of information were his lovers.

Voldemort's body was pale, young, and deceivingly soft. Severus' was even paler, scarred through time, and rock solid. The contrast was startling unless you realized this was not their first meeting, but in this life it was different. The one who had once given the comfort was now accepting it.

It was nearly dawn before Severus hobbled into Hogwarts. In all appearances he had just undergone another rough meeting. That was all anyone was ever supposed to see. The shared encounters between the Dark Lord and Severus were of utmost secrecy, Severus' life was on the line.

He did one thing out of the ordinary on this morning. Before heading back to his quarters for a large glass of fire whiskey and a mild pain reliever he went to the hospital wing where a small boy with unruly black hair was sleeping fitfully still recovering from his ordeal in the Chamber of Secrets.

He didn't do anything more than look at this boy who had managed to garner the attention of two lords of magic, both just as powerful and just as deadly as the other. This child of his enemy had become a pawn in the game between Light and Dark. Potter was firmly entrenched in the exact same position as he had been forced into those long years ago.

He didn't like the boy, and he certainly wouldn't pander to the boy's every whim. It went beyond saying that he absolutely refused to be more than civil to the boy. He would, however, carry out his master's wishes and satisfy his own curiosity at the same time. He would guide the boy in the game. He would be brutally honest, frighteningly hard, and exceedingly tough, but it would keep the boy alive and mentally intact enough to fight on whichever side he chooses to on his own free will.

With that thought in mind he stalked out of the hospital wing, never looking back onto the white bed at the boy laying there. If he had he would have noticed bright green eyes opened a small margin.

Without his glasses on all Harry could see was a large black silhouette but Snape had been standing close enough to the bed the boy had caught some unusual scents, belladonna and honeysuckle, a bizarre combination of sweetness and darkness. Above the scents Harry associated with the professor, after suffering many lessons with him breathing down the back of his neck, was another sharper scent. Harry easily recognized the scent. It was musky and cool like the smell of a deep forest after a light rain or mist has just left. It was the kind of smell one would expect from a serpent. Harry knew it was the scent of the Dark Lord. Severus was coated in the scent that Harry remembered vividly.

His tired body soon got the best of him and Harry drifted off to sleep with a whisper of a memory ravaging his mind, the burning hot lips of Voldemort on him and that smell overwhelming his senses. He only had one last conscious thought before fully succumbing to sleep. Why did Severus smell so strongly of Voldemort? He knew he was a spy that had been explained to him by Dumbledore. Even that couldn't explain how strong the scent was. He had to have been in contact with Voldemort for far more time then was necessary in a Death Eater meeting.

He couldn't explain it and he wasn't sure he wanted to try. The memories the scent had uncovered returned the tingling to his lips and triggered an odd feeling deep in his gut. He was too young yet to understand this feeling and he knew it was for the best that he didn't.

Severus Snape finally got to rest in his favorite arm chair by the fire with his glass of potent alcohol. He seemed to have forgotten about the liquid if the lack of sipping had anything to do with it.

He was too busy thinking over the last twenty four hours in his head. Two people figured heavily on his thoughts. The Dark Lord he had loved and was loving again. He was everything he had remembered along with everything he had hoped for when he heard Dumbledore say he might return after the night of Lily's death. The other person was just a boy and a right annoyance at that. He had done everything in his power over the last two years to make that boy's life Hell. Now he had just sworn to his master and himself that he would guide the boy. Even if the guidance wouldn't be gentle it was still more than he ever thought he would do for anyone baring the last name Potter.

He sat staring into the dwindling fire for a few hours until dawn had fully come across the horizon. When he felt his body tire he rose from the chair drained his glass of the whiskey it held and threw himself rather ungracefully on his bed. He was due a nice long rest. He closed his eyes hoping the world would turn it's self back upright before he opened them again.


	4. The Smell of Death Surrounds You

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain  
**

**Chapter Four**

**The Smell of Death Surrounds You**

(That Smell- Lynyrd Skynyrd)**  
**

That smell, that overwhelming intoxicating smell. An aroma so enticing it sent shivers down his spine. He knew that smell and it frightened him as he remembered the source. Harry shivered a bit more under the thin ragged blanket his relatives had given to him.

He had never suffered dreams that seemed this real before, every sight, sound, and even smell came through clear as day. He didn't even know what drew him so deeply into the dreams. One minute he would be sleeping peacefully then he would be thrown into another sensory intoxicating dream. They were never very clear on the where and whom, but that smell, oh the smell he could lose himself in its embrace. It was heavy and musky definitely not a feminine smell. It was bold and powerful with a hint of danger. He had smelled it a few times before but never as strongly as that horrible night in the Chamber of Secrets and coming off of Snape's robes that morning in the infirmary.

It was a smell he associated with Voldemort, and all that he stood for. Why did it give him that small thrill running down his spine every time he had one of the dreams? He didn't even know what the dreams were supposed to mean. He was starting to get a bit of an idea but his mind shied away from the thought.

Giving up on the idea of normal sleep, he threw off the threadbare sheet and got out of bed. Rummaging around for a bit he came up with an old t-shirt and cut-off shorts that used to belong to Dudley. Growing up the way he did, he had learned how to sew at an early age. Aunt Petunia had taught him with the intention he would do all of the mending the family required. She didn't realize she had actually done one good thing for her nephew. He was able to use the skills to alter Dudley's old clothes into a size that fit him. Of course he ended up with enough extra fabric to make at least two new shirts for himself every time he altered one of Dudley's.

Opening the door to the room the Dursleys had given him when fearing they were being watched, though even that didn't stop the _punishments_ it's amazing what a closed door can hide, he moved quietly down the hallway into the bathroom. He couldn't risk a shower and waking up his relatives so he settled for using a rough cloth and tap water to wash his face, neck, arms, and legs. He used an old comb with most of the teeth missing to at least attempt to comb his hair. It had grown some over the summer and he noticed it was slightly easier to manage and decided to grow his hair out rather than getting it cut.

Getting out of the bathroom he returned to his bedroom to try and get some of his summer work done. It was by pure luck he had thought to wrap all of his books up in his invisibility cloak, he was then able to sneak the bundle and his wand into his room with Hedwig's cage. He had to use muggle paper and pens but he realized that was better than turning nothing in.

Finishing up the last few paragraphs of his Charms essay he looked over the rest of his work. He had another month before returning to Hogwarts and he only had Snape's essay left to do. The early morning awakenings had done some good for his schooling at least.

He was almost brave enough to owl the Headmaster to see if he could get his third year books, but decided against it, he didn't want to trouble the Headmaster. If the blatant ignoring of his existence was anything to go by he no longer had friends to talk to. This time he couldn't explain away the lack of letters with crazy house elves. He had received small notices from Hogwarts about school things so he was still getting his mail, just nothing from his old friends.

By this time his Uncle was up and forcing him to make the breakfast, starting off Harry's day of chores, chores, and just to be different more chores. If a slap was directed at him now and then it wasn't any worse then he deserved right? Because of his inability to save her, Ginny was dead. Didn't he deserve to be punished for it? The fact that the Dursley's hadn't been told of the events, and the treatment was no different then all the other times Harry had made excuses for them, didn't cross his mind.

Harry was able to get his work done that day, he wasn't hurting too badly, so he wasn't expecting to be punished that night. So with obvious relief he climbed the stairs to fall exhausted onto the bed only to have him hit something, hard, with his head.

Sitting up properly he looked at what he had hit his head on. He was surprised to see a medium sized stack of books and a small note lying at the head of his bed. There wasn't talon or feather of an owl in sight, except for Hedwig of course, who was locked in her cage.

Being careful, Harry didn't touch the note, but read it from a distance.

_Potter,_

_Be cautious you are being watched by more than one person. Many people in your life are not what they seem to be. Use that mind Potter, I know you can't be all of James__ there has to be some of Lily in you too. _

_I think these may be useful to you in the coming year. I suggest you read them carefully and make the decision you feel is right and not what you think people want to __hear_

_The One Who Watches_

_P.S. I know what you're thinking and I am not here to harm you. If I wanted you dead you would already be gone._

Harry read the post script and relaxed a bit. He did have a point, if this person knew enough about him to know the books he needed, than he was probably close enough to have already harmed him if he wanted to.

Picking up the note to examine the books closer he noticed something. The paper carried a trace of the same essence that plagued his dreams. For some odd reason this didn't frighten him but he remembered the warning to be cautious. It was good advice no matter who was giving it.

Looking at the titles he was intrigued. He recognized most of them as the standard third year texts called for at Hogwarts, but there were three he didn't recognize.

_Darkness or Light: a breakdown of the forms of magic by Tamara Nott_

_Introduction to the Dark Arts by Cynthia Darkmoon _

_The ways of Mind Magics: a guide to guarding your secrets by Thomas Flint_

Deciding to ignore his tiredness for now he reached for a book. Losing his nerve over the Dark Arts books he settled for the one on mind magics. He finished about a quarter of it before succumbing to sleep.

He was woken up by a nightmare a few hours later. He picked the book up again and read some more until his relatives woke up.

The rest of his time before Hogwarts flew by in the same manner. He was able to read all of the books he was sent, finish his potions essay, and read the books a second time.

Those books contained some interesting and, frankly, frightening information. He didn't know what to think. Apparently things weren't as dark or light as he had been taught. People weren't angels or demons. He wasn't sure if he believed what he read but they made a good argument.

Those books were the first time he had been exposed to anything that precisely explained the relationship of dark and light one way or another. He had been taught to blindly follow the light, forgetting that to have light, you must have darkness.

He wouldn't give up on Dumbledore, the man was too important to him. Although the mind magic book outlined what it was like to be under a truth serum or coercion spell and things did seem to parallel the symptoms when he was near the Headmaster. He decided to see how this year went and decide from there.

He wouldn't even consider anything he read in those books except for one thing. The note he had found with them had compared him to his mother. While he did have a form of hero worship for his father he also had a burning need to know his mother and to be compared to her was something he used to only dream of.

He had received a few more notes from the same mysterious person. They all said basically the same thing, stay on your guard, and things are not what they seem. One of them had even mentioned he shouldn't let himself be controlled by anyone. He didn't understand that one. Who was controlling him? As far as he knew he was thinking for himself.

They also carried the same scent and his books had confirmed his suspicions, unfortunately all it did was create more worries. The use of dark magic left a detectable scent on a person who uses it regularly. It was basically the Essence of Darkness.

The part where it worried Harry was that the only ones capable of smelling this were the ones with an affinity for dark spells. In other words only if you already carried at least some of the essence. He was able to pass it off as transfer from Voldemort's backfired spell but gut instinct told him that was wrong he just refused to believe it.

Finally it was time to return to the castle and even though he was pretty sure he wouldn't have any friends this year, he was still happy to get away from the Dursleys. He spent the train ride back to Hogwarts alone in a compartment. He took the opportunity to reread his summer essays just in case they were quizzed, he was sure they would be in Snape's class. He hadn't been prepared for that the year before, but this year would be different. He wanted to prove to Dumbledore he wouldn't fail him again. When he donned his robes he was glad to see that his school uniform covered most of the bruises. He didn't want to answer any questions, and he deserved every one of them. Plus, Madame Pomfrey was a nice woman but Harry really didn't want to see her as often as he tended to be in the Infirmary.

Getting to the Great Hall he found a seat alone at the end of the Gryffindor table. No one attempted to talk to him and he didn't force his presence on anyone else. He waited patiently while the other lions grumbled about the wait. This year's sorting took some time. Harry had noticed his class was one of the smallest at Hogwarts. He wondered if it had anything to do with the first rise of Voldemort, probably, he thought to himself.

Soon enough the tables were groaning under food and Harry was filling his plate. He was probably the only one in the hall, minus a few of the health conscious girls, to have a balanced meal on his plate. At the Dursley's he usually got the leftovers and even when he got that they hated greens of any kind, his body was starved for those nutrients.

He knew it usually took him time to get used to eating a decent amount after a summer at the Dursleys. So he ate slowly and was able to finish half his food before he was full. He would have stopped sooner but he hated the though of wasted food. He looked regretfully at the rest on his plate, but knew it would be even more wasteful if he ate too much and made himself sick.

By the time the desserts arrived Harry was able to eat a small bowl of vanilla ice cream, anything else was just too sweet for now.

When they were dismissed he took the familiar path up to the dorm only to discover his trunk at the far end of the room from Ron's, a distinct difference from previous years. It wouldn't have been too bad if the other boys hadn't charmed their beds farther away from his.

He figured Ron must have told them how he had killed his sister. So Harry didn't voice any complaints over the new arrangements, he just got ready for bed quietly. Not wanting to ignite sore tempers. There was a frosty atmosphere in the air that evening that just wouldn't go away. He didn't even realize he had been watched the entire night. Of course the steady gaze came from a person gifted in watching someone without their notice.

The obsidian gaze was directed at Harry out of concealed curiosity. He hadn't had the chance to observe the boy much since he had been given the task by Voldemort. Sure he had written to Harry, but a few notes couldn't actually be called interacting with him. He wondered if the boy had read the books he had left. He assumed it was a fool's hope to do so but the boy had already managed to surprise him, it was not good to underestimate either an enemy or an ally and he wasn't sure which category Potter fell into yet. Harry was getting close to the age when Legilimency wouldn't hurt him any more. By Christmas the boy shouldn't be in much danger from that form of intrusion. For some reason he found himself wondering if Potter would be strong enough to Occlude his mind without a teacher, some wizards could do it but not many.

The book he had given Potter had explained what it felt like to have the spells used on you, not how to do them yourself. They were a restricted art carefully controlled by the ministry. There were some hefty fines involved for anyone caught teaching the arts beside ministry sanctioned tutors. The only reason they weren't completely illegal was because some people are just born with the ability, and you can't very well arrest someone just because they have blue eyes, and it would be the same sort of scenario.

Classes resumed and Harry made good on his promise to prove himself to Dumbledore. He lived for the approving glances of the man. He didn't understand one odd thing though. It seemed like every day the Headmaster gave him one of those glances, Potions class was ten times harder than normal. He found out Snape was deliberately trying to stump them. He would leave out ingredients on the board, post the wrong timing, or wrong number of stirs. Harry was lucky to never fall for it. His glasses were so old he had been having trouble reading the blackboards in his classes so he resorted to doing everything out of his books. This meant he didn't even see the traps, let alone fall into them.

When Snape noticed this he was a little disappointed. The entire point of tricking the students had been to give Potter the ability to question authority instead of following instructions blindly. He decided he was going to have to be a bit more direct from now on and hope the boy could handle it. They were in a war and Potter had to be ready. Like it or not, he was now stuck firmly in the middle. He should at least be given the choice of which master to follow.

There was one thing Severus didn't know, there was something distracting Harry from his potions, of that he was sure. Severus didn't know that he was the distraction. Severus still had the Essence of Darkness around him. It wasn't nearly as strong as that night in the infirmary, but it was still present. Harry didn't understand why he grew so warm or why his skin became super sensitive around that smell. He didn't want to know in reality. He was pretty sure he knew what was happening he just never thought things like that were supposed to happen to people like him. A savior was not supposed to be human. They were supposed to protect everyone no matter what. If any one was close to them they would be taken away. He knew that, and had known, since he had learned just how his parents died.

Harry was forgetting the most powerful force on earth wasn't magic at all. If anyone has ever been around a teenager for any length of time no matter the gender, orientation, or other factor of the teen in question, than they are aware of the strongest force on Earth. It is a time when hormones go out of control. The human sex drive is a powerful force. Just because you are unaware of it doesn't mean it doesn't affect you.

Near the end of class Harry managed to pull his thoughts together long enough to finish his potion. He was just about to take a sample for grading when the cauldron next to him exploded. He had been working next to Neville, and unfortunately the blown cauldron wasn't that much of a surprise, he always fell for the traps on the board (along with most of the Gryffindors).

Harry saw all his effort wasted as Neville's ruined potion contaminated his own decent one. Sighing Harry took his sample anyway figuring Snape wouldn't let him remake it.

Severus surprised him though by taking advantage of the situation. "Potter you will stay after for detention and re-brew this potion." The potions master snapped.

"Yes Professor Snape." Harry replied trying not to let the relief run into his voice. He didn't have anything to do tonight, so the detention wouldn't ruin anything, and he might even be able to score a decent grade on the potion.


	5. Take My Flesh, I'll Give You My Soul

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Five**

**Take My Flesh, I'll Give You My Soul**

(The Night-Heart)**  
**

Harry walked hesitantly into the potions classroom for his detention. He knew if he wanted to pass potions he would have to go through with it but that didn't mean he wasn't frightened.

He didn't expect the potions professor to come sweeping out of the shadows so soon, so when he noticed his presence he jumped two feet into the air and wore an expression like a startled rabbit.

"Why did you jump?" Severus asked curiously, he had never gotten that particular reaction from Harry before.

"I wasn't expecting it Sir," He answered.

"So you are expecting it other times? Why do you have to be expecting it? What frightens you that badly?" Snape asked even more confused now even though he would never admit he was confused.

"I don't like not knowing what's coming. I can't fight what I can't see." Harry answered.

"Being prepared for an attack is a decent reaction for one in your position, but why do you think you have to fight? You are still a child and should be treated as such." Severus said snidely.

"I have always had to fight, why should now be any different? Dumbledore is counting on me to help him fight." Harry said almost desperately with a tone of awe.

"Potter have you ever had a single original thought in your head? You should have a certain respect for authority yes, but blind obedience can get you killed very quickly. You have not fallen into my traps in class so I had assumed you had the ability to question authority. Is it just in my class you decide not to be led around like a lamb?" Severus asked resignedly, this was going to be a harder task then he had originally thought.

"What traps in class? I simply follow the instructions and my potions usually don't explode." Harry answered.

"Do you follow the directions on the board or in your book?" The potions master inquired.

"My book. Why? Did I do something wrong?" Harry asked confusedly.

"Why do you use the book and not the board?" Severus couldn't understand how he would not know about the traps he set and yet still use his text.

"I can't see the board very well sir. Last year I was able to check my notes with Hermione's and if I made a mistake she helped me correct it. This year people haven't been talking to me as much as in past years, so I had to do it alone, the easiest way to do that without bothering someone who doesn't wish to be subjected to me is to just use my book." Harry answered.

"What happened to your eyes that you can't see the board?" Severus asked getting more and more frustrated after every answered question.

"I haven't gotten new glasses in a while. They still work well enough, it's just certain handwriting I can't make out on the boards when I sit at the back of a class, and in your room the Slytherin's sit in the front. Again, am I doing something wrong?" Harry asked a little pathetically.

"First of all, no you are not doing anything wrong, and please stop asking. You are still a student and thus expected to make mistakes, in this case though, I actually wanted students to use their books. I asked because you used the blackboard for the first two years and now switched. How long has it been since you got new glasses?" He asked reigning in his temper.

"I have had the same pair for as long as I can remember, I had a check up when I was seven and the school noticed I was having trouble with the old ones. The Dursleys were not happy with the expense and I was punished for that one." Harry said adding on the last part hesitantly but he knew Snape would question him on the length of time between appointments.

"You need to take care of your eyes. I know Poppy has spells that can fix most problems causing poor eyesight. Hasn't she ever mentioned them to you?" Severus asked.

"No, but that could explain why she looks at my glasses the way she did. I always assumed it was because they are quite ugly." Harry said, then thought for a moment. "If magic can fix people's eyes then why do so many wizards wear glasses?" He asked.

"Most of us that wear glasses come from Muggle families and by the time they are old enough to know magic they are used to their glasses and don't feel the need to alter them. Not to mention the ones that wear glasses get to choose the designer frames that fit them correctly. You did not have that option so your glasses are unnecessary and will just get in the way." Severus was relieved to finally be able to answer one of the boy's questions.

He knew enough about the boy to know he didn't ask questions much. He would do a lot better in school if he had just asked for explanations when he didn't understand something. He needed to work on that trait of the boy's for it could be dangerous for everyone involved if he ran off without getting enough answers. Plus without questions there can not be a proper choice.

Then Severus realized the second part of what the boy had said. If the boy was punished for receiving something he needed, then what did the punishment consist of? "Potter, what did your relatives punish you with for getting you new glasses?" He asked carefully.

"I had to do extra chores and was locked in my room for a week." Harry answered quietly.

Severus caught the lie immediately. While Harry was telling the truth that was not the entire thing. "How is that a punishment worth mentioning? While it doesn't sound right to get grounded for a necessity it doesn't change the fact that it doesn't sound too harsh." Snape said harshly. He knew the boy was being coddled, he was nearly ready to abandon the boy for the night until he heard the boy's reply.

"You aren't going to let this drop are you?" Harry asked resignedly.

"No, you might as well just answer the question." The older wizard said blandly but with purpose.

"My room was a cupboard under the stairs then, and the additional chores were tacked onto a list that was already a foot long, no I literally mean a foot she even measured it once to be sure." Harry said after it looked like Severus was going to interrupt after the length comment.

"The worst part about the whole thing is that I was locked in the cupboard and yet still expected to get the chores done. I was only allowed out when they weren't around. I had to do the chores at night and avoid waking them.

"It usually took me until dawn to finish the work and when I was locked back in my cupboard I might have gotten a few hours of sleep at the most because my cousin loved to periodically drag his bulk up and down the stairs just to wake me up. The other Dursley's weren't exactly quiet either." Harry answered in a rush.

"Who knows about this?" Severus asked as calmly as he could (which was quite calm), he wondered if the headmaster was aware of this neglect.

"Dumbledore and now you, please don't tell the headmaster I told you. After he found out about it he told me he had every confidence in my ability to deal with my relatives. When I got back from that summer and reported that it was still happening he was so disappointed in me. He can't know it is still happening. This is just one more failure on my part and I can not fail." Harry said passionately.

"Alright Potter its time to grow up. The world can not wait while you become that man's lap dog. Can't you see what he is doing to you? You are being abused at home he knows better then to send you back. He sent a twelve year old to kill a basilisk and then ingrained in him the impossibility of failure.

"Dumbledore is a powerful wizard and like all powerful men he fears what he doesn't have. You are so magically strong even the Dark Lord was impressed. Dumbledore can not stand to see that out of his grasp. Voldemort would have never killed your parents if he had never heard the prophecy, _only Dumbledore knew the correct wording to._

"You are old enough now to see his manipulations for what they are. It is time to put aside your childish things and become the man you were destined to be. You refuse to tap into your magic in the fear of Darkness and Light. I can feel the essence on you I know what you are capable of. What does it make you feel like when you get close to me?" Severus finished off his tirade with a valid question.

Harry refused to listen to his actual speech but he tried to answer the question anyway. "I don't fear it, if that is what you want to know. I am the savior of the light and yet I can't keep myself from reacting to the essence. My skin becomes super sensitive and I grow hot in temperature. I get this bizarre feeling within me and when Voldemort touched me it continued to burn long after he had stopped." Harry answered.

To say Severus was shocked would be an understatement. What Potter had just described made it sound like the boy was _attracted _to the Dark Essence. If what he knew about the boy was true then Potter would rather die then be any closer to the dark than he had to be. Why would the boy admit the Darkness aroused him then, unless? No. He refused to even consider the possibility when he had agreed to watch over the boy, that agreement did not extend to educating the boy sexually.

It seemed a few more question were in order. "Where did you feel the essence?" he asked the boy.

"I felt it a few times growing up but I didn't know what it meant until I met Tom Riddle in the chamber. He was covered in the essence of darkness. The essence was so strong on him I could barely catch his real scent. I also felt it in the hospital wing the day after Riddle got loose. I feel it from several people within the castle." Harry replied.

Now for the first questions of a sensitive nature, "Do you get that sensation you described from everyone with the essence or just certain ones? Do you get that feeling from anyone or anything else?"

"I have never felt that before I met with Voldemort. The only time I feel it is when I am around someone with the essence, and no it isn't everyone with the essence. It has to be strong for me to react like that." Harry said his head hung not making eye contact.

This confirmed Snape's fears. The boy honestly didn't know what he was feeling. It also revealed an interesting fact. Harry said he only reacted like that around people with a strong essence. He knew there were no females with the essence in Hogwarts. They matured at a slower rate, making the essence undetectable until they were nearly out of Hogwarts. Severus wondered if the Headmaster knew his little weapon was gay, hell he wondered if Harry knew, and from what the boy was saying, he would guess that was a resounding no.

One more question needed to be asked. "Who do you get these feelings from?" Severus needed to know who the boy was growing attracted to. He was under orders to keep the boy safe and anyone with the Dark Essence was an automatic threat unless he knew them personally.

"Only three people, two of which are in the castle one is not." Harry replied showing his first signs of not cooperating with authority. Severus would have applauded the boy except for the fact this was necessary information.

"Your going to have to give me names Potter, its important, you may need to be protected from them." Severus said slowly.

Harry let out a sigh, "Fine I will tell you but no one can know about this outside of the two of us. I have been told since childhood that feelings are a weakness I can not afford weakness. I get them from Draco Malfoy, you, and Tom Riddle." Harry said the names so low and fast that Severus barely caught them.

He caught himself thinking 'why me?' "Harry I will tell you right now you are right to hide this from people but not for the reason you believe. This feeling is not a weakness in fact it can be a wizards greatest gift, the problem comes because it does carry danger with it." Severus told the boy.

"Why are you telling me lies? The headmaster has told me over and over again a savior can't afford feelings. I mean, all they do is get in the way and get innocent people hurt. He doesn't want me getting close to anyone. I am probably breaking the rules just talking to you about this but you don't seem to understand any other way." Harry answer in a paradox of naïve confidence. He completely agreed with what he was saying and that horrified Severus.

"Harry," Severus conveniently forgetting to use the last name. "Voldemort is not the evil in this war. All the proof I need is standing here in front of me. You are a thirteen year old boy. The things you should be doing now is playing Quidditch, skipping homework, and starting to develop real relationships beyond the safe boundaries of friendship.

Instead all you are is a naïve little boy wrapped up in a warrior's package. You speak of things that the only knowledge you have of it comes from one source. A source bent on controlling you. Dumbledore has already created one evil he is on his way to creating the next." Harry looked shocked and repulsed and was about to interrupt when Severus held up a hand to stall him and continued speaking.

"Dumbledore did the exact same thing to another boy just like you. He grew up to be strong and powerful, a weapon for the forces of light. When the weapon was no longer needed it was cast out, painted black and never spoken of again under his true name. you know this boy, you have met him here in the castle. His name was Tom Marvolo Riddle and he did the exact same thing you did. He defended Dumbledore until Dumbledore betrayed him the final time. Light creates darkness and Dumbledore proves that.

You have to get out from under his thumb. Or you too will end up in the rubbish pile of war casualties. Because Dumbledore is not training you to be a warrior, he wants a martyr. He will kill you when you have performed the task he wants you to do and he will assume all the power and prestige that goes with it. Open your eyes boy before someone permanently closes them." Severus said deadly serious.

"Why would I trust you over the one that saved me?" Harry asked confused and angry.

"Because if it weren't for Dumbledore you wouldn't have needed saving. Your parents left a will directly stating you were not to be placed with your relatives. Dumbledore put an innocent man in jail in order to secure his hold on you. If you do not trust me, then maybe it is time you talked to your godfather." Severus said seriously.

"What do you mean? I have a godfather?" Harry asked again.

"You actually had two. One is behind bars in Azkaban, he is the innocent put behind bars. I don't like the man personally. More like loathe actually but no one deserves that place when they are innocent. Your second godfather is here in the castle at this moment, he is your Defense professor. He was unable to take you in because he is not entirely human. The ministry wouldn't allow it, he fought them very hard but when we learned you were supposedly safe and happy at the Dursleys he didn't fight so hard. Dumbledore promised him you would have a happy childhood. That man probably knows more about Dumbledore's manipulations then anyone else. When he took his first look at you in the hall he just knew you were not being taken care of properly, he is now under spells keeping him from talking to you. You have to seek him out for the spell to break." Severus explained.

"Alright call him here and I will see if what you say is the truth. I don't believe you one bit and he is a complete stranger so you had better make convincing arguments to say he is manipulating me." Harry said crossing his arms and squaring off his stance.

Severus figured it was just his luck the boy would start to question authority when it came down to important matters. With that in mind he fire called to the defense professor who soon came out of the fire place with a questioning expression on his face. When he saw who was with the potions professor his expression changed completely.


	6. I Sense It But can't Comprehend

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Six**

**I Sense It But can't Comprehend**

(Envision- After Forever)

Harry found himself staring out of the high window for yet another night. So much had happened it was almost too much to take in. he had found himself in this exact same position night after night. He barely slept at all anymore and no one deemed to notice aside from a few people Harry would have never thought would show concern, mainly because the people in question were Slytherin's with one lone Gryffindor in the mix.

He couldn't believe the direction his life had taken, and it had started its downward spiral that night in the dungeons.

XxXFlashbackXxX

"Harry?" The amber eyed professor asked foggily.

Harry could see the man was trying to pull himself out of a deep fog. The cloudiness in his professor's eyes was the first solid proof of the validity of anything Snape had said all evenings. Professor Lupin had all the classic signs of fighting a memory or suppression charm. Despite his blind spot towards Dumbledore and his naivety Harry was rather intelligent, and that was another reason Dumbledore wanted to get his claws into the boy as early as possible.

Lupin finally won his battle against the magic holding him in place and he was able to sweep his godson into a fierce hug.

"Harry I'm so sorry that creature kept me from you. I was so stupid. How could you ever forgive me for leaving you with those things? It makes me no better then those beasts!" Lupin said with so much pity and self degradation Harry knew it wasn't an act.

"Harry there are things you have to know about our dear headmaster, he is not the kind leader of the light you think he is, and I have proof." He said seriously capturing the boys wide emerald eyes with him to show he wasn't lieing.

XxXEnd FlashbackXxX

The man he had never met before in his life had told him so many things that night. At first Harry had been adamantly opposed to even the concept that Dumbledore wasn't pure and good. It had taken both men until dawn to get Harry to admit Dumbledore's treatment of him was wrong, but the boy still refused to believe the headmaster was doing it out of manipulation. Harry honestly thought sacrificing himself to save thousands was worth it and that Dumbledore was doing all of it for the greater good.

They did manage to get his attention enough his natural intelligence had begun to strain against his naively held beliefs of good and evil. His mind had begun to battle within itself that evening and was still battling within him even after all these months had passed. That's right months. It was slowly creeping up on the winter break.

He was beginning to draw his conclusions and one half of himself was definitely not happy with his findings. He was finding the logical side of himself was and probably already had agreed with his two professors. It was the deeply ingrained and molded part of his mind that baulked at the idea.

There was another thing confusing the whole issue. The eve after his long night with Lupin and Snape had seen another stack of books laid out on his pillow for him. This time the books did not discuss magic, or at least not the kind you did with a wand.

They were books that to put it bluntly were about sex, or in some cases sexuality. Not exactly the kind of books that are usually found just lying around on someone's pillows.

After a few weeks of studiously avoiding the books he finally gave into curiosity and started in on the very top book, which just happened to be on the different form human sexuality can take on. He got to maybe the middle of the third chapter before he felt the urge to chuck the book against the far wall. He refrained from doing so only because he was sitting up in bed reading late and if he followed through with such an action he would surely draw attention to himself and he definitely didn't want to be caught reading a book on _that_ topic.

What disturbed him so much? Well he finally found the answer to what the tingling feeling was when he got near someone with the Dark essence. He was **attracted** to it! Him the golden boy of the light being attracted to darkness?

It also wasn't lost on him that he only got those feelings around three very specific and _very_ male wizards. He was a little confused when deciding whether or not the darkness or the men themselves were attracting him. He didn't think it was a coincidence that the only people to give him that feeling also carried the essence.

That still left him with the fact he was attracted to men. He didn't know if it was accepted or not in the wizarding world but it wasn't in the muggle world to a great extent. People who loved differently were tolerated if not ignored entirely, if they were lucky, the unlucky ones well he just really hoped the wizarding world was more accepting.

He got a strange feeling that even if half of all relationships in the wizarding world were same sex pairs it wouldn't matter heroes and saviors, what he had been molded into being since he was a year old, were not supposed to be gay. Hell even in the old American western movies his aunt sometimes watched the cowboy would save the day then ride off into the sunset…alone.

He felt pretty certain that whoever was giving him the books knew about his little discovery, or he wouldn't have received those particular ones. They were pretty geared towards same sex orientation.

During this little period of self discovery he noticed something well just plain odd. Severus Snape snarky potions master of Hogwarts was beginning to have a slight change in attitude. Oh it wasn't obvious in fact Harry might have written it off to imagination if Uncle Vernon hadn't succeeded in squashing all imagination out of him. It was just in the slight softening of the onyx eyes and less of a snap to the voice. He still glared and insulted but the heart behind them was gone. It was truly disconcerting and Harry had no idea how truly weird this whole thing had been.

And to top of f these last few months his potions partner just happened to be Draco Malfoy.


	7. Judgement Getting Closer All The Time

A/N **Deathly Hallows spoiler free story** (for people new to fan fiction a spoiler is when a story/article/ review gives away key plot points that happen in the real series. A spoiler alert is usually assigned if the book in question is so new that people who want to read the book might not have gotten the chance to do so yet.)

This is not going to follow the events of the books at all beyond the identity and backgrounds of certain people and the first few lines of the prophecy. I just want my readers to know that yes I have read Deathly Hallows but you should be safe from spoilers if you're waiting to read the book until a better time. I know I like nothing better then to curl up in front of the fireplace with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book with snow swirling lazily outside.

by the way if I ever use a term in my warnings/A/N/ summaries that you don't understand I will be happy to explain them if you ask. I would much rather answer your questions then have my readers see something in my stories that disturbs them because they didn't understand what slash means for an example.

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Seven**

**Judgement Getting Closer All The Time**

(Troubled Land-John Mellencamp)

Harry noticed there was one good thing about being paired with the potion master's godson. He had a decent grade in potions for once. The bad part was he felt like he was running a fever the entire class from being in close proximity to two out of the three people that carried the essence that drew his attention. He just couldn't concentrate on anything with that kind of distraction. He was forced into becoming a better brewer so his inattention was not so pronounced.

From the seemly random smirks he got from Draco throughout his lessons with him a week after Christmas break had come and gone he knew the other boy was up to something or knew something important that would affect him. That had Harry on edge for the remainder of the evening, and while tensions in the dorm room had lessened slightly after months of no one turning up murdered in their beds they still weren't the most cordial of environments.

His wariness was proven to be a good thing when walking back from the great hall Friday evening he was accosted and nearly kidnapped. He landed one good blow with his elbow to his attackers nose. The other one cursed beneath their breath so Harry couldn't identify their voice. Harry was quickly restrained completely after that little stunt and carried off in the general direction of Snape's office. All he could identify about his attacker was he was taller then Harry and was probably a Slytherin if the direction he was being taken in had anything to do with it.

Soon Harry knew he had been correct in guessing their direction they were now just outside the door to Snape's office. His capture didn't bother to knock just swept in, then the taller one spoke and Harry immediately identified him. "I owe you two galleons, he fought back." The cultured voice of Draco Malfoy shocked him for a second before he wriggled out of Draco's grasp just in time to see the greasy bat of the dungeons emerge from a doorway Harry assumed led to the potions classroom.

"I did warn you Draco," Snape said easily.

"What do you want? You could have just told me to come down later or given me **another** detention." Harry asked.

"I was going to but a Slytherin doesn't pass up a bet they know they can win." Snape answered surprisingly. Harry nearly laughed when the very first expression he had seen on Draco's face besides cold disdain was a pout.

"How was I supposed to know he would be ready for me? If it had been any other Gryffindor they would be too busy asking stupid questions like who I was and where they were being taken. It isn't a typical Gryffindor response to fight back." Draco explained haughtily with his nose in the air and Harry got a feeling he was just getting a glimpse at the complicated bantering that happened between godson and godfather.

"I have already answered that one before and I am not repeating myself," Snape replied.

"So, when exactly were you planning on telling me why I was kidnapped in a hallway and why he is here? I thought you didn't want people to know about these meetings?" Harry asked evenly. He didn't have any of the legendary Potter temper left in him anymore.

"I don't want just anyone to find out but I think he could be useful." Snape answered back shortly, he was only fueling the newly developed curiosity in the boy because this was the most questions the boy had asked at one time in the history of knowing him.

"How could he help? What can he do that you can't?" Harry asked again.

Severus sighed before launching into the explanation. "I know for a fact you are still convinced you will have to fight in this war. Well I won't lie to you there is a large probability that you will end up fighting again. The point I have been trying to drill into that thick skull of yours is that you have a choice in what to fight for. What you have now isn't a choice, it is a habit. I want to break that habit. What Draco is going to help me with is teaching you how to fight and stay alive. I assumed you would prefer to learn against someone more on your knowledge level then myself." He explained slowly and carefully.

"Why would I choose differently? From what I have seen and heard all the dark side means is pain and torture. They have no real goals and no progress has been made one way or another." Harry asked in an exasperated tone of voice.

Severus carefully concealed his spike of pride, finally the boy was asking the important questions. "Harry have you ever actually spoke to anyone about the war that was outside of Dumbledore's influence? Of course you haven't and I think we both know why. The headmaster keeps you as his little pet here at the school and during the summers sends you back to those animals with minimal contact with anyone magical. You weren't even aware of the fact that your old babysitter was a squib because she was under orders not to reveal herself to you." The potions master managed to say this surprisingly gently and that was only because they couldn't afford to have the boy backslide when he was beginning to break through to him.

Draco couldn't help but interject into the conversation. "What made you change from being civil in Madame Malkins shop to already hating me by the Hogwarts express?" He asked.

"Well in the robe shop I couldn't help but think of how much you reminded me of my cousin, and he was never anything more then a bully to me. I might have given you a chance I will admit to that but I had already made friends with Ron and he was spouting off about how evil Slytherins were. He was the first person to ever be civil to me I couldn't lose that for someone who might not turn out to be a friend." Harry explained he was beginning to get sick of all the secrets he had been hiding, and as much as he wanted to vehemently deny every word that Snape had said something inside of him told him the older wizard was telling the truth. It hurt to have all your illusions shattered but to be perfectly honest he had been having similar thoughts over the years but then Dumbledore or one of the Weasleys would do something and he would think such thoughts were silly.

Now he had a different adult telling him that all those incidences of him being persuaded out of those thoughts were set ups, carefully designed to bring him further into blind obedience. He had one more question to ask if the answer was what he thought he would be then he would go along with whatever Snape told him to do but if the answer differed at all he would walk out of the dungeon and go straight to Dumbledore.

"Why would Dumbledore do that to me if he knew me at all he would know I would have done anything he asked me to do? I don't see him putting all the effort into molding me as you so eloquently put it if the job would get done another way." Harry asked the damning question.

Snape knew by the spark of determination spreading across the boy's face that this was the question that would make or break his mission from the Dark Lord. "Dumbledore isn't molding you for the war Harry. He knows you have the power and the want to kill the Dark Lord right now and would do it in an instant if he asked. What he is attempting to break you for is for what happens after the war. As he sees it if you are strong enough to fight and win against the Dark Lord you are strong enough to be a threat to him. He has worked many long years to defeat the Dark Lord and he would rather sacrifice his savior then have a young boy take the fame that was rightly his in his own mind.

Why do you think you have received no formal training on how to fight? If it is as you say and Dumbledore wants you to fight for him wouldn't it make more sense for you to be trained? Dumbledore is hoping that the prophecy I told you about before is enough to let you defeat the Dark Lord without training because if he gave you that there is every possibility you will be stronger then both the Dark Lord and Dumbledore.

You asked earlier why you would choose any other path then the light? Well the answer to that is simple on the side of the Dark Lord your power, and I mean all of it both dark and light, would be appreciated. Yes we are wounded when we don't complete a mission for the Lord but is that actually a bad thing? If we are caught on a mission there is a large possibility of sentencing to Azkaban and the Dementor's kiss. What would you rather have, your soul sucked out of your mouth while your body lingers in that hell house or a few seconds of Crucio?

The Dark Lord has more of a purpose then you have been led to believe. Let me guess you believe this entire war was about killing you and any muggleborn witches and wizards? That is what the light side wants people to believe and since the light controls the government and most of the press you only hear those things. The one thing the light has failed to explain is why the Dark Lord is after them. The truth is the Dark Lord doesn't want rid of muggleborns if you had been allowed to get a newspaper you might notice the only families that the Dark Lord has targeted, besides the special case of you, has been where a witch or wizard has married a muggle.

He knows perfectly well that the wizarding world would die if he killed all muggleborns, and he wants to rule it not kill it. Dumbledore with his encouragement of witches and wizards marrying muggles is diluting our blood. Magical power is becoming less powerful as the generations descend. When the school was founded only about 3 percent of the students invited to Hogwarts had to be sent back because they weren't strong enough to wield a wand safely. Now that amount is creeping higher, this years first years had a 15 percent rejection rate.

I am not saying the Dark side is all good, there is pain, if you mess up you will feel the agony of Cruciatus. If you betray the Dark Lord you will be killed. If you try and kill another follower or worse the Dark Lord himself well then you have a fate worse then death to worry about. The Dark side earned its name for a reason, but Dark is not Evil and you would know that if you read the books I sent you over the summer, which I assume you have." Snape's whole speech was given in a tone that said he was being deadly serious and completely honest outlining both the good and the bad.

Harry was kind of surprised by the answer not because of what was said but by how thorough the answer had been. It explained all the tiny little questions that had been plaguing him since he had read that first stack of books. It was a simple well formed reply and it left him with his head spinning. Hating himself for abandoning the person that had saved him from the Dursleys. Wait Dumbledore had placed him there in the first place and either knew about the abuse and did nothing to stop it or just neglected to check up on him both were unforgivable offenses. With his largest doubts buried for the last time he made a choice. "I will follow the Dark." The glazed expression in his emerald eyes the only hint of how hard it was to say those five small words. "But I want to learn everything, hide nothing from me, I want to know why it was my family that was chosen. I want to know everything Dumbledore has done that proves his corruption. I won't make the same mistake twice if your master wants me on his side he is going to have to prove that my treatment will be better then if I stay with Dumbledore." Harry said finally with a spark of anger in his voice. It was about time the boy's spirit started to return.

Severus was surprised that all it took to convince this once unhealthily obsessed boy that his views were wrong was the answer to a single question. He had compared his training of Harry to breaking a habit well sometimes it can be a small thing that can trigger the change of habit. You can prepare and attempt all you want but there comes a point when something has to give and Harry had finally reached that point. Harry was powerful and just because he had been raised in a fashion that made him obsessively loyal to the one he perceived as his savior didn't make him stupid. Intelligence like the kind Harry possessed could only be held at bay for so long.

Draco and Harry soon came to have a schedule for when to meet up and practice. After Harry's shocking choice Draco had got it into his head to teach the boy more then just fighting. Draco knew from everything he had heard from his father an godfather plus his own observances that Harry would become a very powerful, and deadly, ally. Unfortunately Harry's pitiful muggle upbringing made him frightfully behind in everyday skills such as etiquette and penmanship.

Those simple skills didn't seem to make much difference until Harry began employing them and noticed the changes going on around him. Students from other houses then his own were more open to his presence now that he knew how to act around people his own age. His marks in class began climbing at a steady rate as his essays became neater. With smaller neater writing he had to write a more thorough essay to get the same length as before.

It seemed as if the Gryffindors had taken up a neutral position towards him. The only one to hold up any real grudge was Ron. Harry thought it was because Ron still believed he had killed Ginny.

His illusions were shattered when for a second time that year he was accosted leaving the great hall. This time it was a furious red head that pinned him against the hallway wall. Harry could have fought back but he chose not to he wanted to hear what Ron had to say.

Ron leaned in so close to Harry his breath ghosted across Harry's ear. "I know it wasn't you who killed Ginny, but you might as well have. The headmaster promised our family that if we agreed to befriend you then you would always be there to protect us. Why did you betray us Harry? She was my little sister and you didn't protect her. I will regret to the end of my days agreeing to be your friend." Ron said furiously then let his fist fly.

Harry felt the bruises and blood form on his skin but didn't fight. His one weakness that Severus had yet to get him over was the fear that he had failed. It was just not in his nature to fail he wouldn't accept it and now he was confronted with his failure. He took the beating only because he felt he deserved it.

Soon Ron left Harry alone in the hall, with one last kick to his abused side his former best friend laying in a pool of blood and tears. His only wound was the bloodied knuckles he received from punching so hard so many times.

Ten minutes later Harry was found by an inwardly worried Draco. Without preamble he scooped up the badly injured Gryffindor and headed down to the dungeons. He knew enough potions and spells from helping his father upon returning from death eater meetings the last summer he was able to heal Harry.

"What happened Harry?" He asked once the raven haired youth had regained consciousness.

"Ron is what happened, he called me a failure and he also told me that Dumbledore had ordered his family to befriend me. The headmaster promised them that if they befriended me then I would protect them. Ron thinks I betrayed them because I couldn't save Ginny. Now I know why everyone in the office that night didn't correct Ron when he called me a murderer to them I was." Harry explained without emotion to his voice. All his time spent with Slytherin's was beginning to have an effect on him.

"Harry you should know better then to listen to him. Can't you see what he just said? You are not the betrayer he is. His friendship with you was a set up to begin with, and what right does he have to call you a failure over a promise you didn't even know was made. You can not be blamed for this. Repeat after me Ginny Weasley's death was not my fault." Draco demanded.

"Ginny Weasley's death was not my fault," Harry parroted but came back in a slightly defeated voice, "but what if he is right?"

"He isn't Harry you can trust me I won't lie to you. You nearly died down in the chamber along with her. You killed a basilisk when you were twelve years old just to save her. That family has no right what so ever to say you are a failure if anyone is to blame it is Dumbledore, for someone who claims to know everything he sure missed a lot your first two years too much to be a coincidence in my opinion." Draco was now practically nose to nose with Harry trying to get his point across. Severus had told him a lot of Harry's history and believe it or not he found himself wanting to help.

Harry heard Draco loud and clear, he even understood him to a point, but he was hurting too bad to face it right now. He really needed to shut up Draco. He did the first thing that came to his mind.

He kissed him.


	8. On The Air There Was A Hunger

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Eight**

**On The Air There Was a Hunger**

(Burning Both Ends of The Night-Garth Brooks)

The kiss lasted for awhile until Harry realized exactly what he had just done and pulled away quickly his face aflame from his impulsive actions. Draco however didn't seem to be having that sort of problem.

"Wow," he managed to say.

"I didn't disgust you?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Why would you have? I didn't exactly protest you know." Draco pointed out.

"Still its wrong isn't it?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"We really need to work on your confidence you know that? No it isn't wrong at least not to me. I see no problem with caring about someone it shouldn't matter their gender." Draco answered haughtily and Harry knew he was trying to get him to relax.

"Does it bother you coming from me though?" another question it seems the Slytherins had done their job on getting him to ask for information.

"It definitely wasn't expected but that doesn't make it unaccepted. Why did you do it anyway if you were afraid of my reaction?" Draco asked curiously.

"I wanted to shut you up and the fastest methods are either a kiss or a sharp slap. I didn't feel like hitting you so I kissed you." Harry explained hopefully.

"I think you aren't telling me something?" Draco said crossing his arms and looking him over pointedly.

"What do you think I would be hiding?" Harry asked nervously knowing he was cornered.

"The real reason you kissed me? Was I an experiment or a confirmation?" Draco asked confusing the still naïve Gryffindor.

"What do you mean experimenting?" he asked feeling out of his element.

"Were you trying to figure out if you liked guys or are you trying to figure out if you liked me in particular? I know you under normal circumstances you would have chosen the slap." Draco asked pointedly.

"I don't know how to answer that." Harry admitted hanging his head into his hands. "I'm really confused right now. I grew up thinking I was always going to be alone, heroes are there to save the day then fade away into the background, it's all I have ever known now there's this I can't stop it and I can't control it." Harry said getting angry now.

"What is this?" Draco asked sitting down next to the frustrated Gryffindor. He knew the other boy just needed to talk it out. Draco had already celebrated his fourteenth birthday, but he was still too wise for his age. That had come from many years of training at the hands of his father. He knew what Harry needed because his father and Severus had done the same thing for him only the summer before.

"You know about the essence right?" Harry asked trying to get his scrambled thoughts into a semblance of order.

"Yes, father explained it to me when he noticed it on me." Draco admitted. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Draco, I_ can_ sense the Essence I always could, I just didn't know what it was." Harry explained to the semi-shocked Slytherin. It would have been worse but Draco had already suspected.

"Why don't you have it then?" Draco asked confused.

"I do Draco, Severus tried to explain it to me, the essence on me is very light because I only have the _ability_ to cast Dark Arts but I have never actually tried them. He was trying to warn me not to experiment without anyone with the essence near me. Apparently with the Essence already on me having never cast a spell the essence is going to get stronger faster. He wants someone to be able to stop me before it is so strong I can't hide it anymore." Harry answered.

"Ok, that makes sense but that doesn't answer the question of why you brought it up?" Draco pointed out.

"I'm getting there, but before I tell you why don't you tell me what the essence feels like to you?" Harry asked.

"It feels familiar and warm to me, almost like the hug of an old friend. Why?" Draco explained.

"It doesn't feel that way to me. The essence makes me feel very warm and tingly, I'm sorry about that word but there is no other way to describe it, it doesn't feel like an old friend to me. The only other time I have ever felt like that was when someone had kissed me." Harry said coming close to admitting the truth.

"Are you trying to tell me that you are attracted to the Essence? Who kissed you?" The first part was said incredulously the last part was said as an afterthought and was full of curiosity.

"I'm not sure if it is the Essence or the people themselves I am attracted to, the essence has to be strong so not everyone with the essence makes me feel this way, and I don't feel this way about anyone without the essence. Its just really confusing, and on top of that all the people with a strong essence that I feel this way around are guys!" Harry ranted.

"Who are they?" Draco asked sharply. He needed Harry to admit it out loud or he would never believe it himself.

"Snape, Voldemort, and you," Harry replied in the exact same tone he had used to spill it to Severus. He knew he had to start trusting people again or it was going to be a lonely existence.

One name on the list definitely caught Draco's attention. "You're attracted to the Dark Lord how did that happen? When did you get close enough to him to have felt that?" Draco asked firing off questions at a mile a minute.

"Yes, it was in the chamber of secrets, he was down there. After he let me go he pulled me back to him told me to remember his words and then…" the next part was to garbled for Draco to hear but he could guess.

"He kissed you didn't he?" Draco asked.

"Yes," Harry said telling the story for the first time. "His lips burned against mine, sometimes I still dream of it. I can feel it lingering if I start to think about it. I have been running from it ever since but I guess my body is deciding to betray me."

"Do you have an idea whether or not you are gay?" Draco asked getting straight to the point.

"I do now," Harry replied. "I hate to admit it but it isn't just the essence I think it just plays a part in the attraction. There are too many people with the essence out there for me to be attracted to the darkness and not the people. It doesn't help matters that no girl has ever made me feel that way." Harry answered with as much honesty as he could muster.

"You said you felt that way towards me?" at Harry's hesitant nod he continued. "Then could you kiss me again?" the request was so tentative it was hard to believe this was Draco Malfoy standing there.

Harry answered with action, and he crashed their lips together again.

Draco was the first to speak again. "So how did you like it?" He asked with a smirk.

"Nice, with just a hint of Darkness." Harry replied.

"I think it is safe to say us Slytherin's will have you corrupted in no time." Draco observed.

Draco was rewarded for his words by a smack on the back of the head. "See just give us more time. That was a good reaction." Draco said rubbing his head.

Harry just sighed and slapped him again.


	9. Go Down in Flames

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Nine**

**Go Down in Flames.**

(Just Like Jesse James- Cher)**  
**

Draco worked very hard over the next few weeks to make sure Harry had a blush staining his cheeks for most of the day. It was Draco's delight in educating Harry and Severus' relief that he wouldn't have to be the one beyond books.

Harry thrived under the attentions of both of them. His magic was growing further under his control and his dueling was becoming deadlier. He trusted them more on what they were saying and was finally able to use that to his advantage. He was also less afraid of his own strength. One of Dumbledore's oldest lessons you can not use fully what you are afraid of.

The other students slowly accepted Harry back into the fold and if Harry was perfectly honest with himself half of his isolation had been enforced by his own beliefs. Even the boys in his dorm were coming around, all except Ron and Harry hadn't really been expecting his opinion to change.

Draco and Harry had decided that first night that they were not going to be open about their relationship. Although they wouldn't lie if asked they just were discreet enough to avoid being questioned. Two males together was not uncommon, but a Gryffindor and a Slytherin together was positively unheard of.

Draco had also been right about another thing. It really hadn't taken long for the Slytherin's attitude and mannerisms to begin to change him. He was acting more and more like a snake and less and less like a lion. He was surprised so few people had commented on the change in his attitude. He wondered if the staff even knew he had changed. Since the beginning of the year he had been working hard on his assignments so it didn't make a whole lot of difference in the classroom. The only out word shift in him was his over all appearance. He began to take care with how he dressed and acted like. He now had a reason to. If his relationship with Draco went public he didn't want to embarrass the proud Malfoy heir.

It was starting to get late enough in the year that Harry had another thing to worry about. The time for him to go back to the Dursleys was fast approaching, and last summer had been too quiet. He had only had to worry about chores and the occasional slap. He knew better then to think this summer would go as well. He debated on confessing the problem to Draco or Severus but held back. They had already helped him so much he wasn't sure if they could or would do anything about it.

Draco did manage to surprise him with something. One weekend in mid February he actually invited Harry down to the Slytherin common room.

"Why would you want me there? Would the other Slytherin's care?" Harry asked carefully after Draco had brought it up.

"We have parties in the house from time to time to break up the boredom and people from other houses have been invited before. This isn't a party weekend but I wanted you to actually meet my friends on civil terms and thought if the rules could be bent for those parties, then they could for this too, as long as you don't know the password no rules have been broken." Draco explained.

Harry sighed and as he remembered something a smirk found its way onto his face. "Wouldn't be the first time."

"And what do you mean by that?" Draco asked with his eyes narrowing.

"In second year, Ron and I, you know when we were still friends? We made some Polyjuice potion and turned into Crabbe and Goyle. Do you remember a day when those two were acting odd?"

"Now that you mention it.. that was you two? Two Gryffindors were in the snake pit and we didn't know? Remind me again how you got into Gryffindor in the first place?" Draco asked incredulously.

There Harry chewed on his lip a bit, and Draco had to remind himself to work on breaking that habit, before answering. "Well the sorting hat _did_ kind of wantmeinSlytherin." The rush at the end of the sentence was indecipherable.

"I'm sorry come again?" Draco asked for clarification.

"The hat wanted to put me in Slytherin." Here Harry gained a little bit of confidence as he squared his shoulders, crossed his arms, and raised an eyebrow in challenge.

"Why did you tell it no?" Draco asked incredulously.

"Watch it Draco your pride is showing. I told it to put me in Gryffindor because of a few well placed manipulations. Please don't make this any harder then it is, I know it was Dumbledore's 'training' that got me in Gryffindor but I still have too many things that keep me from being able to completely admit the man is evil. I need more time. It was only last year I was the mans lapdog for heaven's sake." Harry admitted.

"So are you going to come or not?" Draco asked to both change the subject and get his answer.

"Yes, I promise not to hex your friends if they return the favor." Harry said with a smile forcing the conflicting thoughts to the back of his mind.

"Harry we _are_ Slytherins. Even with your admittedly strong power most of us have been training our magic since we were old enough to speak Latin. You might win against one or two of us but when you are on our territory you face all of us. I don't think even Severus could take on the entire house if it decided to do something unanimously. He just asks that we don't get caught." Draco explained.

"I was trying to joke, but I get your point anyway. Where do you want to meet at?" Harry asked resigned to his fate. Although he couldn't deny he was curious about who the Slytherin's really were. He was intelligent enough to figure out that out of any house the Slytherin's were the ones you wanted to remember what you see is not always what you get.

"Why don't we meet near the potions classroom after dinner tonight. You can say you got another detention from Severus if anyone follows you." Draco thought out.

"Sounds like it would work, although at this rate I am going to beat out the marauders record for most detentions." Harry grumbled. "Are we going to tell them?" Harry asked.

"Tell them what?" Draco asked distractedly. Harry fixed his distraction with a kiss. "Oh, that, um I think we are going to have to. They are going to wonder why I invited a Gryffindor, and you above all of them, down to our common room seemingly randomly. They will figure it out eventually anyway. It is a lot harder to hide a secret from a Slytherin then a Gryffindor." Draco pointed out.

"Alright I think I can handle people knowing if you can." Harry replied.

"See you tonight then." Draco answered kissing him quickly and exciting their appropriated empty classroom. The two boys now knew pretty much every safe hiding place in the school thanks to their need for discretion. The room they had been talking in hadn't been disturbed in so long there was a thick layer of dust curtaining everything.

Harry waited until a few minutes had passed since Draco had left, then followed his example. They were always careful to not be seen coming or going too close together from the same mysterious places. Hogwarts was famous for how fast rumors spread. If even one student had seen them do it then the whole school would have known by the next meal. Plus in this castle the truth was often stranger then fiction. Everyone would be concocting wild stories to explain the odd behavior and if anyone did get it right they would have been shot down immediately by the next harebrained story. The boys just didn't want to take the chance, the two of them got enough attention as it was, and Harry hated it while Draco wallowed in it.

The only other person aware of just how deep their relationship went was Severus. He covered for the boys when he could, but didn't go out of his way. He warned all of his students from the beginning that if they did some rule breaking they were not to get caught. He would only cover for those that gave him a good reason to. If Harry and Draco got in trouble because of their own miscalculations they were on their own.

He also didn't do anything to stop them. He could see the good it was doing both of them. Harry was doing wonders with containing Draco's ego, and Draco was helping Harry out of his shell. He knew the boys were equal partners in the couple, and he knew Draco wouldn't give up control easily so there must be more to Harry then meets the eye.

Severus knew Harry was stronger then Draco in more then one way. If Draco had been put through what Harry had he would have broken long ago. He might have a puffed up sense of his own importance but he actually depended more on others then he would care to admit. If you took his support out from under him he would fall. This was the first time in Harry's life he had ever gotten the least bit of support and while he didn't come out unmarred he was healing faster then anyone could have hoped for. If magical power could be measured Harry would definitely beat Draco he just lacked the confidence to use it.

Severus also noticed an odd shift in Harry's manner. One minute he would act like a person far older then he was, and others he would retreat back into childlike naivety. There was yet more walls to crumble before Harry would be able to stop the childish impulses and just be what he was supposed to be. They were making progress but until he figured out what was holding Harry back now then there was little anyone could do, it was something Harry probably had to do himself.

Harry was feeling very anxious while waiting for Draco to show up when the time came. He knew he was still not quite the same as a normal boy his age and wondered how badly it would look for Draco to be with him. He would do his best to act the way he had been taught, but even he couldn't predict when a flashback would come and send him over the edge. If he could just stop those things from happening he knew he would be a lot better off.

He actually hated the headmaster for what he had done to him, the frightening part was he hated himself for thinking that. He knew it was the headmaster's doing that he felt so guilty about it, and that was just another reason for hating the man. As long as he held onto his hatred for the headmaster he figured he could get through this meeting. He did not want anyone to find out just how far he had been under the headmaster's thumb.

Before he could work himself into a complete frenzy of conflicting thoughts Draco finally showed up. "Are you ready to do this?" He asked concernedly.

"Yes, although I am a bit worried about them finding out about how I used to be with Dumbledore." Harry explained coming clean immediately.

Draco sighed and responded. "Harry I had hoped I wouldn't have to tell you this but most of Slytherin has known about that since your first year here. We don't miss much that goes on in this school, especially the upper years. I want you to know that Slytherin house actually has a high opinion of you. We are the ones under the headmaster's wickedest scrutiny, some of our own have had personal dealings with the man. They know how manipulative he can be. When you started coming around this year, this was before Severus told me anything, the Slytherin's noticed. You know I wouldn't bring you here if anyone was going to harm you, you won't be welcomed with open arms simply because we don't trust easily, but you will become one of us if you decide to stay long enough for them to get to know you." He explained.

Harry was shocked at this but realized it made sense. He was surprised he had gained at least a bit of approval from the most selective house at Hogwarts. "Alright lets do this together." Harry said his voice firm, all traces of the little boy persona pushed back. He held his head high and walked into Slytherin territory with pride in his eyes, and for once that pride was all for himself, he could really get used to that.


	10. Sea of Loathing

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Ten**

**Sea of Loathing**

(Down With the Sickness- Disturbed)**  
**

"We wondered when you were going to tell us." Theodore Nott said to his blond friend.

"Shut up Dore, and what do you mean by that?" Draco asked his small circle of friends as they were sizing up Harry.

"Dray it has been kind of obvious you were with someone." Pansy pointed out. "We weren't sure who it was but we knew something was going on."

"You made a good choice." Blaise said grinning, making pearly white teeth contrast his dark skin.

"So glad you approve." Harry said with sarcasm, the first words he had spoken since entering Slytherin territory in fact.

"You should be glad because if we didn't approve you would find yourself cursed so hard your ancestors would feel it." Pansy said nonchalantly, as she inspected her immaculate finger nails.

"You would have to catch me first." Harry pointed out a smile creeping onto his face. This whole situation was kind of surreal for him. He knew the Slytherins wouldn't be the same, but this was not what he had imagined at all.

"Shouldn't be too hard, your not so scrawny you slip through our fingers anymore." Blaise said teasingly.

"No threatening my boyfriend." Draco ordered.

"I do think the Boy-who-lived can take care of himself." Pansy responded carefully.

"He can, he just shouldn't have to." Draco pointed out.

"Hey Draco I can hear you, did you realize that? I can fight my own battles if I have to." Harry pointed out in a low deadly voice that sent a shiver down Draco's spine.

"Oh relax you two, we were just playing. I personally believe Draco could have done a lot worse." Dore said with a slight incline of his head in Harry's direction.

And that was the end of the meeting and the beginning of Harry's time in the dungeons. He began to spend more time in the Slytherin common room then in the Gryffindor one, and if he was perfectly honest with himself he didn't have a problem with that.

It gave him more time to be with Draco after all.

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and the last day of term was upon them. Harry was stuffed into a compartment containing all of the Slytherins that had befriended him. When an excited voice caught his attention.

"Dray have you told Harry about Hell's Paradise yet?" Pan asked nearly bouncing in her seat.

"No," Draco said quickly.

"What is Hell's Paradise?" Harry asked curiously.

"Only the best nightclub in Knockturn Alley!" Blaise said excitedly. "It isn't picky about its client's ages, or species, and doesn't give a hoot over orientation." He explained quickly. "Professor Snape has set up one of the fireplaces in the common room in the floo network. He only lets fourth years and above use it outside of emergencies. He doesn't want us causing trouble in the corridors so he lets us go out. We only have to warn him when we leave and tell him when we get back."

"When we come back next term the first weekend we are going to check out that club." Pan said. "Your coming with us." She ordered.

"I'll be there!" Harry said firmly even as he whispered to himself, 'if I survive the summer.' he wasn't quite quiet enough because Draco heard him.

"What do you mean by _**if**_ you survive the summer?" He asked.

"Exactly what it sounds like." Harry said keeping his voice low trying to make it so at least some people couldn't overhear.

"What do those muggles do to you?" Draco asked reaching out and lifting Harry's head from were it had dropped to stare at the ground.

"Nothing you have to concern yourself with. I was just exaggerating." Harry told him as seriously as he could, it didn't work.

"Harry I know you better then that, you never exaggerate, if anything you understate. Those muggles hurt you don't they?" He asked.

"Yes," Harry admitted quietly but was quick to come back with, "But I can handle it, not like its the first time." He muttered darkly.

"Why do you go back there every year? Surely the headmaster could get you out!" Draco said incredulously, unconsciously drawing everyone's attention.

Harry just snorted before replying. "The Headmaster knows Draco, and he has done nothing, I no longer count on him and I don't even know why you brought him up. Professor Snape knows they neglected me but I don't know how much he knows further then that."

"I expect you back here on the 1st of September if you are not I will hunt those muggles down and kill them." Harry knew Draco was dead serious and he also saw a few of the others nod their heads in agreement.

Not long after that the Hogwarts express pulled into platform 9 ¾. Using the last bit of magic time left Harry shrunk his trunk and handed that with Hedwig's empty cage to Draco with a silent plea. The blond excepted and they all exited the train. With a bit of trepidation Harry walked out of the barrier and into Hell's abyss.

A/N You know I thought about ending it here but soon realized I am not quite that mean, close but not there yet. So here is the rest.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Sept first XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Draco was anxious very anxious, he couldn't find Harry and was soon about to make good on his promise when he spotted him. Harry was alone sprawled out on the seat in the very last compartment of the train.

He was fully clothed but that clothing was acres too large and had holes and stains in it so bad they looked worse then cleaning rags. Harry himself was tossed like a rag doll onto the seat, appearing to have used all his strength to get that far.

Draco stepped cautiously into the compartment barely registering the presence of three very worried Slytherins behind him. He turned Harry over so the black haired boy was facing him and he saw the bruises and cuts over his face and neck disappearing under the neck line of the woebegone clothes.

"Harry," He whispered softly and emerald eyes opened for a fraction of a second then closed again with a pained sigh.

That tiny sigh was enough to spur Draco into action. Thanking his lucky stars to have a potions master for a godfather he pulled vial after vial of healing potions and salves all geared towards Harry and all made to work together. Getting Harry conscious enough to swallow them was the hard part, the rest was up to Harry.

When Harry finally came around most of the marks had faded leaving traces of shadows across his near death complexion. Sitting up stiffly he saw the four of them watching him and just sighed again and shook his head.

"I'm alright now, thank you Draco." Harry said quietly, holding out his hand for the shrunken trunk that was on a chain around Draco's neck.

When he had his stuff back he riffled through it finding clothes that fit. Stripping down to his boxers, ignoring the stares, he changed quickly.

"You've lost a lot of weight." Draco said worriedly, the other three silently nodding their agreement.

"No worse then normal there, I will gain it back soon enough." Harry tried to reassure them but it only made them angrier. "Please don't ask questions just yet, I don't think I can handle answering them yet." He said with a pleading tone.

"So, are we still on for Hell's Paradise? I would really like to go, it would help get rid of the memories." Harry asked with hope and excitement. He really didn't want his friends to dwell on his past summer time to move forward.

"Yeah can't wait to go!" They all agreed knowing what Harry was trying to do.

"Great." Harry grinned at the thought of getting out of his gloomy remembrances. 'The pain is finally over.' he thought to himself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Friday Night XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"OW... Ouch... ouff. Geroff me. What are you doing with that? Pansy if you don't stop right now I will not hesitate to hex you!" Harry screamed out.

The scene in the fourth year Slytherin boys dorm was am interesting one. Theodore and Blaise were holding Harry down, despite being almost sickly thin Harry could be quite strong when he needed to be, and Pansy was sitting straddling his chest coming dangerously close to his eyes with a long thin pencil like object.

"Stop being such a baby Harry. Its just eyeliner, it will bring out your eyes, and if you keep moving you will smudge it and I will have to start all over again." She warned applying the thick black substance lightly around Harry's emerald green eyes.

"Why again are you insisting on putting make up on a guy?" Harry asked exasperatedly.

"Because you have gorgeous eyes, I am only going to do eyeliner, honest." Pansy explained.

"Won't people get the wrong idea though?" Harry asked carefully.

"Straight guys where it too, on occasions." Dore butted in.

"I don't see you wearing any." Harry pointed out.

"I don't need it, I have natural beauty," He said dramatically fanning his face with his hands and puffing out his chest. Which Blaise quickly punched him deflating his ego considerably. "Besides, I'm not exactly straight either." Dore pointed out.

"Want to explain that one?" Harry asked in confusion, as Pansy finally finished and the three of them let him up.

"Doesn't anybody tell you anything? Just so you know in the wizarding world the most common orientation is bisexuality, and we have a higher percentage of homosexuals then the muggle community. Of course there are still the self righteous jack asses that try and persecute us but since they are the minority they can't do much more then bellow at us." Blaise explained to the bewildered Harry. "Dore and myself are both Bi." He finished.

"What about you?" Harry asked Pansy.

"Well I am slightly Bi but I lean towards guys to the point it doesn't matter much." She explained.

"There is different levels?" Harry asked curiously. It wasn't often he felt comfortable asking.

"Yea, very few bisexual people are truly fifty-fifty, most lean one way or another but wouldn't mind dating the other. Is this making sense?" She asked.

"Yes," Harry affirmed, "Now when are we leaving?"

"When ever Draco is ready, which means we have some time to relax. Honestly he can act like a girl some times." Blaise answered, only to be swiftly smacked by Pansy. "Sorry Pans, but you know its true." He said placating the girl turning deep brown eyes on her full puppy dog style.

"Oh alright, but don't do it again, and since we have time let me look you guys over." She said in a way of compromising and the boys knew better then to complain.

Blaise was wearing tight black pants that hugged his slender hips and flared out slightly until they reached his ankles. Dragon hide boots went to his mid calf. He wore a deep ocher colored shirt, short enough to expose about an inch of his muscled abs, to bring out the highlights in his chocolate skin tone. Black hair was braided into small, tightly wound, spirals reaching below his shoulders. His face was smooth, long and thin. Soulful brown eyes completed his features perfectly.

Dore was wearing leather trousers styled the same way as Blaise's pants. His boots were well oiled leather, combat style. An ice blue shirt fit him well, hugging his frame. His brown hair reached down to brush the base of his neck, he allowed it to free fall without gel or mousse. He hadn't been completely lying when he said he didn't need the eyeliner. His huge violet eyes were surrounded by thick brown lashes and the black liner would have clashed instead of enhanced. His skin was lightly tanned and his face had a slight heart shape to it.

It was Harry that was going to draw the most attention, and the others were pretty sure he was oblivious to it. His clothes were borrowed from his friends, thus they were similar. He wore a pair of black pants exactly the same as the ones Blaise wore. He wore the same combat boots that Dore was wearing. His shirt was and emerald green form hugging tank, with a black mesh overlay. The sleeves in the mesh part were slit down the side held together at a few points with a small black button. The black part met the edge of his pants but the green part ended an inch or two further up causing them to get a tantalizing look at the snow colored skin.

He didn't want to admit it but Pansy's addition of eyeliner did look good on him. It wasn't thick or overdone, in fact it was kind of hard to tell he was wearing it at all. It faded into the base of his eyelashes, and thus looked like and extension of his lashes. What it did was frame his green eyes in black so the color would come out full force next to the contrasting darkness.

Not to mention the eyeliner wasn't Pansy's only addition. His raven wing hair was now streaked with silver and blood red. The silver stood out greatly, and was very obviously an addition to the natural shade. The dark red faded into the black to the point it wouldn't be obvious until he was under the bright lights of a dance floor. Harry's hair had grown out to be between Dore's and Blaise in length. It was still messy and hard to tame, so they didn't even try. It was just brushed till it shown and a bit of gel was added for weight to make the messy locks turn into natural waves that flowed in no definite style.

Finally the bathroom door opened and Draco came sauntering out. He was wearing tight leather pants with a blood red shirt on that was made from an almost wet suit like material. His hair was immaculate as ever slicked back with hair gel. Harry was half pleased to note Draco also wore a touch of eyeliner to make his steal gray eyes stand out and appear to change color from different perspectives.

"Ready to go?" He asked and they all agreed, it was time to enjoy Hell's Paradise!


	11. Till I'm Burning on the Inside

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodpain**

**Chapter Eleven**

**Till I'm Burning on the Inside**

(Get Out Alive-Three Days Grace)**  
**

Hell's Paradise was a dark, foggy, loud establishment that was just far enough into Knockturn alley to frighten less brave people. For a night club it had a decidedly younger crowd. As Harry looked around with curiosity he noticed most of the inhabitants were just barely legal, or deceptively young which he figured was quite possible with a few of them.

The dance floor was lit by multiple colored lights, strobes, and a fog machine was running constantly creating the foggy atmosphere. There was a bar on the far side of the room from the entrance that had strips of blood red neon denoting its form. Bottles and bottles of potent liquors were lined up on shelves. The bartender was too far away to be seen clearly.

Heat was coming off the people dancing in intoxicating waves. People were moving and grinding against each other, few couplings seemed to last longer then a dance or two, the dancers preferring to switch off. The air of the place was saturated with the Essence and instead of worrying Harry, he felt welcomed by that familiar presence, and also somewhat aroused. The feeling no longer startled Harry, in fact the wizard was reveling in the feel of his own body.

Too long had he been submissive, too long had he been controlled. He refused to let that happen even one more time. It was his turn to be in control and damn him to Hades he loved the feeling. Almost unconsciously Harry released his normal hold on his magic, it enhanced his already attractive presence, and the true amount of Essence on him made itself known.

"Ah, Harry just how long have you had that?" Draco asked Harry quietly not wanting to directly ask.

"Severus has started to teach me the Dark Arts. He told me it was my choice whether to show you or not and I wanted to wait to surprise you. I told you a while back that I carried the essence but it was too faint, it wasn't long after that that Severus started teaching me and taught me how to shield my Essence. Apparently it isn't an easy thing to do, but I know now it is better to use my magic then be scared of it, so I did." Harry explained as he led the shocked Slytherin onto the dance floor, and before Draco could react he found himself pressed back into Harry, held in the position of submission.

"Whoa, Harry this is weird." Draco commented, as they started to dance amongst the crowd.

"Why?" Harry asked, not stopping the rhythm of their movements.

"Well I'm usually the one leading." Draco half whined, although he was responding to Harry's lead.

"I'm sorry Draco, its just after this summer I can't even choose to submit anymore. It reminds me too much of how everyone else has controlled me." Harry explained, tightening his hold to emphasize his point.

"I guess I can get used to it, but so help me I want to kill that fat muggle." Draco answered whispering the last part in a hissing voice, not bothering to struggle against the almost painfully tight hold.

"Relax Draco, if anyone gets to kill him it WILL be me." Harry said with fire in his eyes that Draco could only assume was there as he was not facing Harry.

"What happened this summer?" Draco asked incredulously, this was not the Harry he knew from the year before.

"I fought back," Harry replied quietly, this was taking a direction he didn't like. "I couldn't use magic but I still fought."

"Good for you Harry." Draco said triumphantly then he felt the body behind him tense up without reason. "There is more isn't there?"

"Yes, while fighting back worked for about a week, Vernon came back and had Dudley help him tie me down. I wasn't really conscious for most of the time, but I can tell you I wasn't raped, they wouldn't soil themselves with me." Harry explained with absolutely no emotion to his voice. His cold tone sending shivers down Draco's spine. The scent of darkness somehow heavier on the air.

"Draco, promise me you won't bring this up again? It is over, and if I ever go back to that house again it will be to kill him. I don't care what Dumbledore says, I am not his puppet anymore." Harry impressed upon him. Flipping the Slytherin around so they were dancing face to face.

"I will try not to Harry." Draco answered submitting easily.

Harry found himself not really enjoying the easy submission. While he didn't want to hurt anyone, it was a lot better if the other pushed back at least some. Harry was afraid, not of his own power, but afraid he could hurt Draco. His summer had taught him a lot about his own strength and if there was one thing he learned the best it was that he could easily overwhelm a weaker willed person and that would make him just as bad as Vernon.

That brought him to some difficult questions. Did he love Draco enough to risk breaking him? Draco was strong magically but he was softer then he let on emotionally. Was it worth the risk? Did Draco love him enough to be willing to risk it?

Draco saw the indecision on Harry's face but didn't want to ask. He assumed it was just remembrances from the summer. He relaxed once more into dancing, deciding to let Harry continue his thinking.

Three songs later and Draco was thirsty, "Harry, I'm going over to the bar for a bit, I need a drink." He called to him.

"That's okay, I see the others from here." Harry answered as he let him go.

Harry watched Draco pushing his way through the crowd to get to the bar for a moment before heading towards the other three Slytherins. On his way he noticed that Dore and Blaise were too busy dancing with each other to notice Pansy was being bothered by someone. Harry could tell she was getting irritated by the person's advances so he decided to intervene.

Making it look natural he slid behind Pansy and started dancing with her to make the other guy go away.

"Don't scare me like that Potter!" She chastised and Harry realized he really had startled her she only reverted to using his last name when something upset her.

"Sorry Pansy, I assumed you needed some rescuing." Harry said with a grin and a laugh.

"Oh right I forgot, Harry Potter Savior extraordinaire, ready to save damsels in distress at any moment." Pansy said teasing right back.

"So how are you and Draco, you looked to be having quite the conversation when we first got here?" She asked after awhile.

"He wanted to know more about my summer. I told him some and had to calm him down." Harry answered dancing comfortably with her despite being gay.

Harry noticed Pansy was looking a little pale, it might have been the lighting, but his instincts told him better. "Pansy whats wrong? Are you feeling alright?" He asked gently.

"I just can't seem to calm down tonight." She replied.

"Are you worried about something?" He asked in the same gentle tone.

At first it seemed like she wasn't going to answer and Harry didn't feel the need to pry further, but she finally broke down. "I think there is something wrong with me." She whispered.

Knowing this was something she needed to talk through he kept encouraging her. "Why?"

"Because the only males in here interested in me, are either too drunk to stand ,or gay and trying to save me from the ones that are drunk." She whispered and shot a glance to where the other two boys were dancing and Harry saw her focus on Theodore.

"Have you tried talking to him?" He asked seeing through to the problem.

"Are you kidding? No Slytherin will touch me, it is a rule of Voldemort's. Any daughters of his death eaters are to wait until they carry the Essence. Until I get old enough for the Essence to manifest on me I am not allowed to become involved with another." She explained.

"Why does Voldemort have that rule?" Harry asked curiously, knowing there had to be a good reason.

"He doesn't want us to be involved until we are strong enough to fight back if we need to. Females mature into the Essence slower then males because are bodies are getting ready to bare children, only after we are fully matured can that side of our nature grow. Dark magic and life don't exactly mix together. It actually makes sense but it makes the girls like me feel like lepers." She answered going into further detail.

"So, if they are under orders to leave you alone why does that make you feel like there is something wrong with you?" He asked.

"Because they haven't even tried to get close. It will only be a few more years before the Essence can grow on me. What if they are so used to ignoring me, they don't think to try when they can." She answered getting to the root of the problem.

"Pansy, you will not be abandoned, you will find yourself a good husband or even a wife if you meet the right person. If you are really interested in Theodore, tell him now, so he knows. He might just be keeping quiet because he doesn't want to put you on the spot. That rule effects the boys to, they have to be careful to not tempt you to break the rules or they would have to answer to the Dark Lord as well." Harry said coming frighteningly close to thinking like Voldemort.

"How do I without making it too obvious?" Harry couldn't believe she was asking him of all people for relationship advice, he was even more surprised when he knew the answer.

"Go ask him to dance, everyone is switching around anyway, I can distract Blaise for you so you can get to Theodore." Harry told her.

The switch went easily and didn't disrupt the flow of dancing.

"I saw that Harry." Blaise commented.

"What exactly?" Harry asked.

"I saw you help Pansy, and I think you did a good job. There is just something about you Harry that demands our attention. You don't even have to try hard and people listen to you, and I think it has nothing to do with your fame. You remind me a lot of the stories I hear about the Dark Lord and even Dumbledore when they were young. The Dark Lord is using it to fight a war, Dumbledore is using it to manipulate people, and you are using it to help when you choose to." Blaise said.

That was officially the longest speech Harry had ever heard from the normally reserved Slytherin. He had no reply to that and he knew by the tone of Blaise's voice he didn't expect one.

"Hey Harry Draco is watching us, want to give him a show?" Blaise asked with a quick grin.

Harry's only answer was a smirk. He relaxed his body and felt Blaise press closer to him. Luckily Blaise didn't try to dominate but he responded to Harry with fire.

They moved together effortlessly, Harry relaxed with him. Blaise was extremely attractive but he was missing that spark that kept bringing him back to the Darkness. Blaise was one of the few Slytherin's to have very little or any detectable Essence. He was a strong wizard no denying that but his magic just wasn't meant for Dark Arts. Without that spark of arousal Harry felt safe, and knew he wouldn't have any serious explaining to do when Draco came back.

Draco only lasted a little while watching Harry and Blaise dance before he returned to them and stole Harry back. The possessiveness of Draco worried Harry a bit. He was not an object and Draco would do well to remember that.

The rest of the night passed smoothly, Draco rarely letting Harry dance with the others. Harry only put up with it because despite his refusal to let go he was still submissive to Harry.


	12. Leave Me For Dead

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Twelve**

**Leave Me for Dead**

(Another Hole in the Head- Nickleback)

"Draco, I can take care of myself you know that right?" Harry asked his boyfriend one week after their night at Hell's Paradise. Ever since Harry had revealed that little tidbit about his summer Draco had begun to treat him like glass. He might have needed that guidance and protection last year but he was a different person now. He had come through true evil and he understood the boundaries between madness and sadism. He was far more confidant in using his power now thanks to the Dursleys teaching him to use every ounce of power he possessed just to survive.

In other words he really didn't need to be babied and despite good intentions Draco was driving him insane. "I know you can take care of yourself Harry I just didn't want you to have to deal with all the daily nuisances when you have much more to worry about." Draco protested Harry's statement.

A handy empty classroom presented itself and Harry pulled the blond haired Slytherin in behind him and locked and silenced the door before rounding on him. "Draco, do you honestly think this was the first summer this has happened? Definitely not, the summer after second year was probably the gentlest one of my life. That was only because the Dursleys were too busy to really notice me. I have been hurt before this was just the first summer that I knew there was something wrong with how they treated me. Before this I always assumed it was my fault and they would stop if I was a good boy.

I know now they wouldn't have stopped if I had sprouted white wings and played a harp, for heaven's sake, if that were to happen I would probably just be beaten harder and my wings cut off. I learned to be stronger this summer. I can deal with everything just fine, like I have done before and will continue to do. Do you understand now?" Harry expounded onto Draco trying to pound his point into Draco's skull.

"Why should you deal with it if you don't have to? Why won't you let me take care of you?" Draco asked incredulously.

"I don't want to be taken care of anymore. I trusted Dumbledore enough to let him take care of me and look where that ended up, and the Dursleys well do I really need to point out he problem there? Draco every time someone else 'took care of me' I was hurt because of that person's biased ideas of what I needed and deserved. I deal with the every day annoyances because I can and it is the only way I know everything people are saying about me. I have to do this Draco, please stop smothering me." Harry explained carefully.

"Harry it isn't smothering to take care of the person you love." Draco said an edge of annoyance to his voice.

"It is if that person doesn't need or want to be taken care of. I am fine Draco please just let me deal with it like always." He asked the blond, he would not be fighting this hard if he wasn't completely sure about this. He would have eventually relaxed into Draco's protection he just didn't need it point blank.

"No, Harry trust me you still need me. Please let me help you." Draco nearly begged and although it was truly a momentous occasion for a Malfoy to beg Harry didn't seem to care.

"Draco why can't you trust that I know what I'm doing and just do as I ask? Remember I am not the same boy I was last year. I have changed a lot can you handle that?" Harry asked dreading the answer.

"Because Harry if it was anyone else they would be down on the floor begging for help. You never ask for help even if you need it, because you believe you don't deserve it. Well I am telling you that you deserve help more then any other person in this school. You are mine Harry and I take care of what is mine." Draco said his voice rising as his irritation grow. The force of his tirade was only broken by the now icy stare directed his way. He knew he had made a mistake when he saw that.

"Is that all I am to you? Some object to be coveted and cared for like a jewel. I am no object and I belong to no one. To own something is to control it, and I don't ever want that to happen again. I could easily over power you, own you so to speak. I could control your every move and every word, and I could do it with ease, but that isn't what I want. I need to know the person I'm with is able to take care of themselves when I can't be there, they need to have the guts to stop me taking over their lives.

In other words I need someone who is my equal not my inferior or my superior. Someone willing to fight with me not for me. Most of all I need someone that will listen to me when I tell them I can handle it. Can you do that?" Harry said finally losing his grip on his temper. Not wanting to keep yelling and upset Draco anymore, he really did care about him, he decided to form a strategic retreat.

While Harry ran up to the Gryffindor dorms to retrieve his broom and blow off some steam on the Quidditch pitch Draco ran to the only adult in the castle he could trust, Severus.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Almost as soon as the blond entered his personal office slamming the portrait behind him, Severus knew he was in for one hell of a headache. After telling the potions master exactly what had happened Draco relaxed a little hoping his godfather could help him make sense of it.

Severus knew immediately what Harry was trying to do, and it was actually kind of Slytherin of him how he was attempting to pull it off. Severus himself only caught what the boy was doing because of working closely with Harry for so long. There was a distinct turning point in the argument where Harry had gone from valid anger to understanding a few hard to swallow truths, this little lion turned snake was trying to save Draco by making him believe it was his own choice, not one guided by Harry. Harry had known from the moment Draco had tried to objectize him that it wasn't going to work, everything said after that point was Harry using blunt honesty to hopefully let Draco know why. His little scheme would have worked if Draco actually used his Slytherin mindset when considering Harry, but Severus knew there was a problem.

Draco still believed Harry was a Gryffindor through and through despite everything he knew about the brunette wizard. That was probably what attracted Draco in the first place to be perfectly honest. That bravery, or foolhardiness as Severus preferred, wasn't easily found in the snake pit and it had drawn Draco like a moth to flame.

"Draco, did you actually think about what he said?" Severus asked gently, while working with Harry had given him some practice, he still wasn't the best at comforting angsting teenagers, hopefully he could guide Draco in just the right way. Silently cursing the raven haired wizard for learning his lessons a little too well, a little of Gryffindor bluntness would have gone a long way right then.

"Yes, he said he was leaving me. That I wasn't strong enough for him. Why did he say those things? I really thought he cared for me?" Draco wasn't crying or even sounding particularly upset, but in the silence of the room you could hear the distinctive sounds of a heart breaking.

Knowing Draco wasn't going to be able to work it through completely. "No, Draco that isn't what he was saying. Think a little more like the Slytherin you are. Harry is not just a Gryffindor. He managed to impress the rest of our house didn't he? They may not all love him, but he is tolerated. How many Gryffindors do you think there are that could just waltz into our common room and leave unscathed?" Severus pointed out. He had been worried for Harry the first few times he caught him in the Slytherin common room but he realized then his house was tolerating the lion in their mists. No one had greatly protested but that might have been because out of all the houses the snakes were the most observant they could tell Harry was being groomed for something, the question was what that was.

"What do you mean think harder? Seems pretty cut and dried to me." Draco said his hurt translating to anger.

Long slim fingers pinched the bridge of his nose as the promised headache sprang to life right behind his eyes. "Draco, Harry wasn't rejecting you completely he was telling you exactly what he needed. He didn't say he didn't love you. He was warning you about what could very possibly happen. His questions were all valid and non-rhetorical, do you think you could handle the trials being with Harry will bring? If this rant upset you so much what will you do when Harry is really angry at you not trying to save you?" Severus decided to show Draco the facts and let him figure out the answer.

"Why would he push me away like that if he does love me?" Draco asked and Severus really could've used a headache cure potion, but didn't think he had any with him at the time.

"Put it this way Draco, if he didn't love you, you wouldn't matter enough for him to warn you. Everything he said was very true, he could easily overpower just about any wizard he wanted to, but he doesn't want that for you. He wasn't saying you weren't strong enough for him, he was too strong to be safe with you." Severus said figuring he would spell it out for his oblivious snake. As he saw it the reason the relationship couldn't work didn't lie with Draco it was Harry.

Harry had grown up and had left Draco in the dust. Severus would have been more proud of the boy had it not come at the cost of his godson's happiness. Although he understood that in the future Draco would probably be happier with someone closer to his level, just like Harry would be, it looked like this was the best option. Severus understood Harry had some idea this was coming but had honestly tried. The circumstances couldn't be changed but it should turn out for the best. The only rough patch Severus could foresee was that he had to deal with not one, but two heartbroken teenagers.

He bore no illusions that this was going to be any easier on Harry, the first person to ever show him that kind of love was going away. Harry knew it was mostly the fault of his new power, and the mindset that went with it, Severus made a vow to keep a closer eye on the boy to make sure he didn't try to block his power once again. He had faith that because Harry was willing to give up Draco then he was ready to deal with all of his power, or he would have blocked it before giving Draco the choice.

"I can't hold onto him can I? It isn't just what he said. I also need certain things, Harry needs an equal, I need someone I can take care of. Harry doesn't need me and it just isn't enough for me to jut be there, I need a purpose." Draco said sighing a little with regret.

Severus's reply was short and to the point but his headache was getting to him. "I am not the one you need to tell this to."

With that Draco left the office to find Harry, while Severus started to search through his cupboards for his desperately needed headache cure. Teenagers were just too much for him, at least when they wanted relationship advice.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Harry!" Draco called out to the large black blur zooming around the Quidditch pitch.

"Yes, Draco." Harry asked once he safely touched back down. There was a slight edge of some unidentifiable emotion to his voice.

"I understand what you were trying to do earlier. It took a lot of help but at least I know." Draco answered quietly he wasn't sure how long he could hold on to his calm mask, but it wouldn't take much to break it.

"Do you have your answer?" Harry asked with a sigh filled with hopes of what could have been, just knowing what was coming.

"Yes I do, and you are right. We just aren't right for each other are we? We both need something different. You need me to be stronger then I am and I need someone weaker then myself. About earlier, I realize I shouldn't have tried to possess you, but that is just what I need, someone to call mine. I need a person who wants to be taken care of like a crystal vase. You are trying to keep me safe, and in doing so you are proving you really do care for me." Draco managed to get out in his cool voice, only slightly cracking at the end. Turning what could have been a very deep show of emotion into the statement of facts that it truly was.

"Please understand Draco that I didn't want this to happen. I was hoping that I could come back and everything would be the same. I had my own spirit nearly broken this summer by a person stronger then me, I won't do that to you, I only survived this summer by becoming stronger then my uncle." Harry said giving bluntly. He had well and truly changed over the summer and it was only hitting Draco then.

"What is going to happen to us?" Draco asked just barely keeping the tentativeness from showing itself.

"If you intend to never speak to me again, I will understand. It was never your fault that caused this. I am the one who changed, and you reserve the right to blame me all you want because it is the truth." Harry said a little sadness creeping in his voice. He hadn't had quite as many years of training as Draco for him to hold back his emotions completely.

"I don't want that Harry. It isn't like you're breaking up with me because you have become bored with me, or because this was just a fling. We really weren't meant to last. We both need something different. I know this is hurting you too, and may I fall dead with the cliché but, can we still be friends?" Draco worked out in a slowly strengthening voice. They were both old enough and had been through enough that despite hurting like hell they knew it was for the best.

"One can never have too many friends." Harry answered sealing the deal that was the first step in their healing. The process wouldn't be fast but it was on a good start.


	13. The Jury is Coming

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain  
**

**Chapter Thirteen**

**The Jury Is Coming**

(Not Meant For Me-Korn)**  
**

Harry no longer felt comfortable in the Slytherin common room. He wasn't shunned or anything, it just felt wrong to be there without Draco at his side. Their break up may have been mutual and necessary but there was no need to throw it in the face of the Slytherin boy, he knew Draco was hurting more than he was.

He did continue his lessons with Severus he couldn't very well stop that because Severus had been ordered to do it by the Dark Lord. Voldemort might not be insane anymore, but he would punish the Potion's Master if he did not complete his task. Plus the magic Severus was teaching him was just too dangerous to learn on your own, you needed a teacher.

Because of his reluctance to stay with the Slytherins he returned to the Gryffindors. Things had cooled down a lot from the blatant mistrust from the students the year before. Thanks to his association with the Slytherins things would never be the same between him and the Gryffindors as they had been in his previous years. The students in the lion house were beginning to grow up and starting to realize the world was not black or white, people changed and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

His bed in the Gryffindor dorms felt strange. He had trouble sleeping in the room, especially now that his bed had been moved to the one furthest from the door. If there was ever an attack on the house or dorms, he would lose precious time just getting to the door, letting any intruders cause more damage before he could have a chance of stopping them. The worst of his hero complex had been slowly decimated by the Slytherins, but he would still save just about anyone if he had the ability to do so. The current placement of his bed was one thing that could prevent him from doing that.

At this time he was lounging in an armchair on the outskirts of the Common Room, calmly observing his house. He watched as his dorm mate, Neville Longbottom, got up from his place in front of the fire, and come over to his secluded spot.

"Harry, I have been meaning to ask you something," The painfully shy boy started out lowly.

"What is it Neville?" Harry asked neutrally, not trying to scare him, but not acting particularly warm either.

"The whole school knows there is danger coming to Hogwarts. They say attacks from Death Eaters have been stepped up, and my Gran said there was supposed to be some grand tournament this year, but it was canceled in fear of tampering by the Dark Lord. Harry we need to learn to fight and the current defense teacher can't hold a wand the right way." Neville went on gaining confidence as he spoke, and Harry didn't silence him, instead he looked to be seriously thinking it over.

"Why come to me?" Harry asked suspiciously, wondering if someone had put Neville up to this in order to get him in trouble.

"Besides the fact you got top scores on your defense exams? Simple you are pretty much the only student, in any house, who has done any actual fighting." Neville explained, losing his nerve once again at Harry's cold tone.

"But I failed at that," Harry reminded him of his failure to save Ginny.

"Harry you were twelve! Yet you managed to kill the basilisk. That's right Harry we know the whole story. Ron told us, making sure we all knew how evil you are. Not all of us are still children able to be led around like sheep. I knew you weren't evil as he put it. We need you Harry, please help us learn to protect ourselves." Neville explained, a bit of his Gryffindor side finally deciding to show itself.

Harry just sighed, he could feel the remains of his hero complex tingling. Alright Neville I'll do it, but you follow my rules alright?" Harry questioned as Neville's eyes lit up with hope.

"What are your rules?" He asked before jumping in head first.

"All houses are to be included, and any student may come despite allegiance. I don't care who you follow, children shouldn't be asked to fight. I say if they are old enough to fight, they may as well learn how to fight and win." Harry laid out.

"I can live with that, but why any allegiance? I would have thought you would only train those fighting for your side." Neville asked.

"Because who am I to say which side is right or wrong? I know what I believe and who I follow, but that doesn't mean it is for the good of the wizarding world. The students of Hogwarts make up the future, and that is a fact no matter what side wins. I want what is best for the future and that means training everyone, thus the leaders will be strong no matter the victor. Plus any spies among the students will find it difficult to report back news of alliances if I make it impossible for them to be revealed." Harry explained smugly.

"Harry you don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but what you just said made it sound an awful lot like you were on the Dark Side?" Neville's hesitancy was back full force at this question.

Now here was a conundrum he could tell Neville the truth and risk his exposure, or trust the other boy with the knowledge. There was the added pressure that Severus had already explained exactly why Neville was raised by his Grandmother. "Neville I think you deserve to hear the truth from me, and remember he took my parents too, I am part of the Dark side." Harry answered truthfully.

"Why?" It was the only question Neville was able to express as all the courage he had managed to wrestle up dealing with Harry was smashed out of him.

"Are you sure you are ready to know that?" Harry asked gently.

"Yes, you had to have a good reason." Neville replied in a lost voice, what if Ron had been right all along?

"First thing you need to know is that it wasn't an easy decision to make. He has done a lot of very horrible things and there is no denying that. We also need to remember war means death, you can't fight one without losing some people, and the Light side has killed more than a few Death Eaters over the years. It doesn't make the deaths hurt any less, or make them not as important, it just means some were going to happen.

The second thing you need to know is the war is not exactly what we are lead to believe. He doesn't want to kill muggleborns, he wants to have separate schools for them and he wants the muggle world to be completely blocked off from this one. The current Statute of Secrecy isn't good enough. The more muggles that know about us, the more danger our world is in. It makes sense and the Light side can even understand it to a point, but the Dark Lord is willing to kill to make his point.

The third thing is the one that really made me choose the Dark. I absolutely abhor Dumbledore. My entire life I have been the old man's puppet. He was shaping me into the perfect warrior. I met Voldemort in the Chamber of Secrets Neville, or more precisely I met Tom Riddle before the insanity took over. Voldemort, before I stopped him, really was becoming insanely evil and when he came back his sanity was returned to him." Here Harry had to stop for a second that little tidbit was difficult to understand and it had only recently been told to him by Severus.

"So you are saying the Dark Lord we hear about now is not the same one that hurt our parents?" Neville asked, surprisingly grasping the concept easily.

"Yes, I would assume the real reason Dumbledore cancelled the Tournament he had planned, wasn't because he feared an attack, but that he knew one wasn't going to happen. If Voldemort really was the madman Dumbledore had been telling us about he wouldn't have been able to pass up the tournament as a chance to attack. Always remember his goal was to rule the wizarding world, not kill it." Harry reminded him.

"Sounds like a choice between evils to me, he did kill your parents." Neville observed.

"Yeah he did, and here is where the anger comes in, it is quite possible he wouldn't have attacked either of us if it weren't for a prophecy Dumbledore practically gift wrapped for him. Too many people knew it was only our families in hiding, so the Death Eaters knew exactly where to strike. To me Voldemort was protecting himself from the person in the prophecy. It was Dumbledore's blind faith in that stupid prophecy that truly lead to the deaths of my parents and the insanity of yours." Harry had been having thoughts like these a lot recently and just knew deep down in his gut that he was right with his suspicions.

"Dumbledore really is as bad as you say?" Neville felt compelled to ask.

"As far as I can see it, yes he is. If he had his way I would be a mindless drone with no thoughts or feelings. Voldemort saw this in second year and, believe it or not, he actually arranged it so I wouldn't be broken." Harry answered honestly, the Dark Lord had saved him by ordering Severus to take care of him.

"Why would he save you?" Neville asked curiously.

"Because he has always wanted me to fight with him, he offered in first year, but I assumed it was just a ploy to kill me. I know better now, he was being serious in his offer. He prefers his fighters to be able to think. He knows that war sometimes calls for split second changes in plans, if his fighters were all conditioned to do exactly what he said and nothing else we could pick them off like sitting ducks. Voldemort only punishes his Death Eaters, now, when they do not complete a mission, the exact means of getting the task done are usually flexible." Harry answered the question thoroughly.

"Have you learned any Dark Arts and are you going to teach us them?" Neville asked, half afraid his wavering loyalties would be decided now if they continued the topic in the same vein as before.

Harry looked around the Common room one last time to deem it safe to speak. Most of Gryffindor tower had left for dinner by now so there were no eavesdropping students within listening range of them. "Yes Neville, I have learned some, but I do not think I will be teaching them. It leaves a certain essence on a person once they have been cast, that essence will identify a Dark Arts practitioner to another who carries the same essence. It takes a lot of power to be able to shield this essence. If I see the need for it I will create a much smaller group of students that both need the knowledge and have the power to mask it. For the truly desperate I will teach someone without the power for shielding, but they will have to be exceptionally careful."

"Who has been teaching you?" Neville asked knowing this kind of magic was tremendously dangerous and no sane person learned it without a teacher.

"I can't tell you exactly. Putting myself in danger is a gamble I am free to make, I can't risk it for another. Suffice it to say they are Slytherins and leave it at that." Harry explained.

"I saw you with Malfoy an awful lot, what was that all about?" Neville asked not being able to hold it back anymore.

"We were dating Neville. We just didn't want the whole school finding out." Harry answered figuring he had already trusted Neville with his closest guarded secret, his relationship with Draco was nothing compared to his true allegiance.

"You said you were dating, I'm guessing that isn't true anymore is it?" Neville inquired softly.

"We broke up, it was a mutual thing. I changed a lot this summer and we needed different things from a relationship." He answered as his normally strong voice shook a little.

"You miss him a lot don't you?" Neville caught the waver in Harry's voice.

"Yes, I miss him, he was the first person I can remember telling me they loved me. We will probably become friends after we both have time to get over what could have been. We weren't meant to be lovers, but I would walk through fire to help him if he was in trouble. I only thought I was friends with Ron, that was nothing compared to Draco and I." Harry answered gaining some of the strength back in his voice, whether it was acting or an honest shift in demeanor Neville wasn't quite sure.

"Well you have a friend in me, I know I could never be on the same level as Draco but I will be there when you need me." Neville assured.

"Even though I am a part of the Dark Side?" Harry asked playfully.

"Yes Harry, I understand your reasons and I will keep your secret but I need time to make a choice myself.

"I appreciate that Neville, and take all the time you need, also I don't blame you if you decide to stay with Dumbledore he hasn't played his tricks on you and even I can't deny his power. I can't give you a guarantee of which side will win." Harry reassured.

"Thanks Harry." Neville replied, relieved to have his friend back.

Knowing Neville already had enough shocks for the day Harry said, "I think there is still time before dinner is over if you want to go get something to eat with me, and if they are not still serving in the Great Hall I know where the kitchens are." Harry offered as he helped Neville up from his chair.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Neville replied. Allowing himself to be lead out of the room.

It turned out they did have time to eat in the Great Hall, and again Harry had to fight the feeling of displacement as he sat at the Gryffindor table rather than the Slytherin one. He really hoped his prediction of Draco as his friend came true soon. Then he could introduce them to the real Neville Longbottom.

He couldn't believe his eyes when he walked into his nightly lesson with Severus and found Draco there. He was even more surprised when Draco was the first to speak, even when Harry went to apologize.

"Harry I just wanted to say there are no hard feelings anymore. I miss spending time with you just hanging out. You were right we weren't meant to be. I wasn't completely sure until Severus here made me do some thinking, and well I hope this mess is over?" Draco asked hopefully.

"You have no idea how happy that makes me. I was really hoping we didn't mess up our friendship by dating." Harry said with relief.

"I think I can safely say we are one of the lucky ones." Draco responded.

"If you two are done, I don't suppose we could actually start the lesson hmm?" Severus asked cynically from the corner of the room he had been inhabiting during the boy's reunion.

"What are we going to learn?" Harry asked his teacher.

"We need to work more on defense, you can't win a battle no matter how good your offensive magic is if your rival can drop you with a stunner." Severus pointed out. "I would also like to see you build up some tolerance to the Cruciatus, it would benefit you greatly." He explained, outlining their lessons for the coming weeks.

"You can learn to tolerate the Cruciatus?" Harry asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, just like you can fight the Imperious curse you can block the pain. It is like a cross between Occulomency and pure willpower." Severus explained simply.

"So let me guess I can only build up a tolerance by being put under the curse?" Harry asked despite already knowing the answer.

"Yes, no other spell even comes close to mimicking how Crucio works, I am less powerful than the Dark Lord so the curse will be moderated slightly, you will get used to it with time." Severus admitted.

"Joy," Harry said sarcastically, "let's just get it over with."


	14. Memory That Haunts My Mind

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Memory That Haunts My Mind**

(I Wish It Was You-Trace Adkins)**  
**

"Harry we were thinking about heading over to Hell's Paradise this weekend. Are you up for it?" Blaise asked Harry over their simmering cauldron two weeks later. Most of Slytherin house had taken up a neutral stance towards him since the breakup, but surprisingly Draco's best friends still accepted him, he could only guess Draco had done some quick talking to keep them on good terms.

"I would like to come, but can I bring someone with me?" He both agreed and asked.

Blaise just raised an eyebrow in question.

"No we are not dating if that is what you are thinking. I just have someone that needs to broaden his horizons a little." Harry explained.

"Alright, you can bring him but make sure he is prepared for it. It can be shocking to someone that has been sheltered." Blaise warned.

"I will make sure he is ready. We will meet you at the usual time." Harry assured.

Severus' voice cut through their conversation at that moment. "Please bottle, and legibly label them. If I can't read it you do not get credit." Harry had to hide his snicker at that. He knew that comment was directed at Ron, whose essay from the week before had Severus going cross eyed trying to decipher it.

Carefully signing his own vial he handed it in to Severus a smirk dancing on his lips, unable to be released in front of his classmates. All he received in return was a death glare that just made his eyes shine brighter in suppressed mirth.

"Careful Imp, you are under my control tonight, you do not want to cross me." Severus' voice ghosted into his mind. It wasn't telepathy exactly more like a direct link Legilimency. He placed the words in his mind manually instead of just projecting them.

"I would never dream of it." Severus still didn't know how Harry managed to convey sarcasm even in a Legilimency conversation. It was just a tribute to the boy's power, and the galling part was Harry didn't seem to realize it.

"I suggest you get going, I will not be writing you a note, if you miss Transfiguration you are on your own." Severus ordered, not bothering to mention it would look suspicious if Harry was the last to leave the classroom without appearing to be speaking.

"I'm going, I'm going: Harry said as he went back to his desk for his things. As he reached the door he gave one last message. "I'm bringing Neville to Hell's Paradise."

If anyone had bothered to look at their potion's professor for the split second after Harry had given him the message they would have been treated to the look of pure unadulterated shock coursing over his face.

That same evening Severus' arm burned with the call of his true master. He quickly retrieved his mask and robes, hurrying towards the aparation point of the gates of Hogwarts. He honed in on the source of pain and was gone in a crack of sound.

He quickly discovered this was an Inner Circle only meeting. Voldemort was seated at the head of a long table situated in a lavish dining room. The setting was just unusual enough to pique Severus' curiosity.

"Master," He said as he bowed and took a seat at the table, noting the presence of Malfoy, Rosier, and Rabastan Lestrange already.

In the next ten minutes the seats at the table slowly filled up. The last one was that sniveling rat Pettigrew, tripping over himself trying to excuse his tardiness and not succeeding.

"Take your seat Wormtail," Here Severus knew Voldemort liked to use his old Marauder nick name as a reminder of his betrayal. Voldemort did not believe in betrayal just for betrayal's sake. Loyalty was something to be invested in with care. Having a valid reason for your change of heart was one thing, but he knew Wormtail hadn't had any reason to betray his friends. Therefore he was trusted amongst the Death Eaters about as far as he could be thrown in human form without magic, if he had already committed one betrayal without cause what was stopping him from doing it again.

Wormtail only remained in the Inner Circle due to his small inconspicuous Animagus form. One could only guess why Ron had not noticed his pet rat Scabbers had disappeared. It was assumed he thought the rat had became a victim of the many cats running around Hogwarts.

"I need reports from all of your projects, Malfoy your task at the ministry how has that fared?" Voldemort commanded drawing Severus from his musings.

"I still have sway with the current Minister, but I must confess he is a bumbling fool. If Dumbledore ever got wind of just how deep that sway went he would be easy to kick out of office. To counter this I have made contact with those in the ministry with a high likelihood of succeeding Fudge." Lucius reported succinctly.

"Let's see what happens if we give Fudge a little backbone. I want you to work on making Fudge as paranoid as possible. If he fears what Dumbledore may try and do, he might just play into our hands and tie up some of Dumbledore's. The less sway he has in the ministry the less resistance to change there will be. I want to see some significant progress on this mission before the year closes." Voldemort commanded giving Lucius his new task.

"Now Snape, how goes the boy?" There was much more interest in his voice at the prospect of this report. Harry was his pet project and he had high hopes.

"He is progressing well. His biggest problem seemed to have been a lack of confidence in his magic. When he returned this school year he was much different. He has more control and he is much more willing to use the power he has. It can be quite frustrating to watch him do the impossible over and over again with him not even realizing it. He was able to resist the Imperious Curse at thirteen and is well on his way to working up a tolerance to the Cruciatus. He can now duel a second person while under the spell. Yours will still cause some difficulty though as you are more powerful than myself.

He has shown an amazing affinity for Dark magic. His Essence has now surpassed most of the pureblooded children in Hogwarts. He does a commendable job of shielding it though. Although from what the other students have told me he doesn't shield, or at least not completely, when they go out in the evenings. I have not told him to start shielding then as well because with the company he is surrounded by it actually helps him blend in." Severus explained shortly, there was more he could tell but did not want to say it in front of the other Death Eaters.

"I see, please stay after this meeting is over. I will give you your instructions then," Voldemort declared correctly reading Severus' reluctance to speak.

As the other Death Eaters made their reports Severus was left to get his thoughts together in order to tell Voldemort exactly what he needed to know in a coherent manner.

Only one Death Eater managed to get himself Crucio'd. MacNair had been ordered to find out information on one of the neutral families on whether or not they could be swayed to take a side. In his efforts he was seen by the family's patriarch. A quick Obliviate saved him from being reported but it was too close a call for Voldemort to just overlook. As he cast the spell at his follower he wondered just how powerful Harry was if he could fight down a Crucio. Not many could, and no one had when they were as young as Harry.

Soon enough the inner circle members had left, leaving Severus alone with Voldemort. "Severus I know you had more to say about Harry, what else is there?"

"Harry has had a strange reaction to the Essence on certain people. He is actually attracted to it." This piece of information was new to Voldemort. "He has told me he does not get the feeling from everyone with the Essence just some of us. He has also dated the Malfoy heir and officially declared himself gay." Harry's sexuality was only important to Voldemort because if Harry fell in love with the wrong person it could spell disaster, or at least that's why Severus told him, the importance to Voldemort was up to him.

"He has also befriended Neville Longbottom. I first assumed this would be a set back for us, but it turned into a boon. Harry has Longbottom considering his loyalty, but as far as I know he has not made a full decision yet. From what I have seen the Longbottom boy is helpless around a cauldron and shy around wand work, Harry assures me Neville is stronger than he shows, bu i will need more time with the boy to know for sure." Severus explained the odd friendship.

"It might be worth checking into his background a little further. With that twice damned prophecy Dumbledore puts such faith into, it is possible he has done a few things to Neville too, but not quite to the degree he has to Harry. The lack of confidence in magic suggests Dumbledore feared he would turn into a Wild Card for the war if left to his own devices. Dumbledore prefers all his pawns in the right places in the right times." Voldemort contemplated.

"Now you mentioned earlier that Harry likes to go out in the evenings with his friends. Where is he going that it is actually safer for him to go around with an unshielded Essence than if he appeared to be a Light wizard?"

"My snakes have found a club in Knockturn Alley that is not picky about it's clientèle. I let them go to it because it keeps them from getting in trouble at Hogwarts. I only let fourth years and above attend through so they have a chance of defending themselves if they have to. I have seen the club myself and the students are safe for the most part." Severus asked warily.

"Do you know when the next time they plan on going is?"

"Yes, they are planning on going this weekend, their usual time is Saturday at 8 o'clock." Severus answered despite the warning instincts screaming at him.

"If I didn't know any better Severus, I could almost say you were actually concerned about Harry's well being? What a change there. Put your mind at ease I am not going to hurt the boy. I wouldn't have asked you to put forth all the time and effort training Harry if I planned on killing him the moment you succeeded. I just wish to meet him again. I want to see the results of your commendable efforts in person. The last time I met him he was still Dumbledore's lap dog." Voldemort reassured Severus, and found himself having to hide amusement at Severus' abrupt change in manner since he had first set the task of guiding Harry.

"I know you have classes to teach tomorrow your task is to continue with Harry as you have been, and to look into the Longbottom bot and see what is happening there." Voldemort dismissed him with the reiteration of his tasks.

Rising from the table Severus bowed before leaving Voldemort alone in the manor with only Nagini for company. Severus made it back to his quarters only to find Harry and Draco waiting for him. He had forgotten their lesson due to the summoning. Harry and Draco took in the skull mask clutched in his left hand, and understand why he was late.

"What did he want?" Harry was the first to ask a question.

"Get inside before I tell you." Severus ordered herding them inside.

He shrugged out of the heavy black robes leaving him clothed in plain black slacks and a black buttoned down shirt. Throwing the robes and mask into a cabinet with an automatic lock, he finally turned to explain the meeting to the boys.

"He just wanted the Inner Circle to update him on their assignments, only MacNair screwed up badly enough to be Crucio'd. I told him about your progress and some of the things you are capable of. Oh and be warned he is probably going to be at Hell's Paradise when you go this weekend. I don't know if he will have a glamour or not, but his Essence is hard to miss." He warned.

"Yeah, I remember," Harry whispered, remembering back to the Chamber of Secrets.

"Harry, he told me he would not be there to hurt you." Severus assured for once misreading what Harry meant with his worry.

"Oh, I am not worried about that, if he wanted me dead I would have been Killed in second year." Harry replied simply.

It took them a minute but both Severus and Draco put the pieces together. "You are afraid of how you will react to him." Severus stated.

"Yes, I can remember how he felt. His Essence was over powering. He managed to attract me, before I even knew what attraction was. I could loose myself in his presence easily, and the scary part is I may not want to be found." Harry explained to both of them.

"I will not lie to you. It is not easy to resist him. He always had a strange charisma around him. It was enough to attract followers to him away from the Ministry and Dumbledore. It is the one quality that Dumbledore can't compete with the Dark Lord in. Dumbledore is too used to being completely obeyed and remaining in control, the fine art of getting people to do what you ask because they want to marks the difference between them." Severus explained to the even more nervous wizard.

"What can I do to counter it?" Harry asked anxiously.

"Simple, just be Harry. Dumbledore may lack the ability, but you do not. You could overpower him in the same way he could to you. I know he won't harm you and might even enjoy the challenge you would be to him. Don't be afraid of him, although a measure of respect and caution wouldn't be a miss. You are probably the only wizard alive that could insult him to his face and live to tell about it. He is curious about you use that to your advantage." Severus advised.

"This isn't going to be easy," Harry predicted.

"Don't think like that. He will be able to walk all over you with that attitude. Take control of the situation, you will do just fine." Severus warned.

"You can do it Harry, and you won't be alone. I have seen the qualities Severus has told you about. Treat Voldemort like you would any other powerful wizard, with grace and respect, fear and you just shouldn't go together." Draco added in trying to help Harry overcome this last obstacle of fear.

"Alright I will take your word for it. I can bail if things get to be too much." Harry answered gaining back some of the confidence he had shown since coming back from his hellish summer.

"Besides there is no point in fearing a memory." He added.

"That's a much better attitude." Severus agreed.

"Now we just have to wait until Saturday." Draco added in. "This weekend is a Hogsmeade weekend, early on Saturday we can get you something better to wear." He crinkled his nose at the thought of Harry's current wardrobe.

"Than you want to prepare for an extra person for the shopping trip. I think I am still going to bring Neville. He can help distract the others while I talk to Voldemort." Harry ordered.

"If you insist," Draco allowed.

"I do," Harry answered serenely despite the rhetorical nature of the question.

Severus just shook his head at the randomness of it all. Only a group of teenagers could go from talking about meeting the Dark Lord to shopping in less than ten seconds. He hoped the tentative optimism boded well for the coming meeting.

HPTR HPTR HPTR HPTR HPTR HPTR HPTR HPTR HPTR HPTR HPTR HPTR HPTR

"Harry are you sure it is alright that I come?" Neville asked for the millionth time as they got ready on Saturday.

"Neville you met Draco this morning and nothing particularly bad or noteworthy happened. If you weren't allowed to come you would already know it." Harry explained as he sat doing his hair, and despite prior protests he voluntarily applied eye liner.

"I can't help but be nervous. I always feel so awkward around people." Neville admitted as he fidgeted with his clothes.

"Neville its ok to be nervous, but you should have a little more confidence in yourself. No one will hurt you as long as I'm around. You are under my protection and anyone going with us tonight knows it. If I can't be there Draco will take care of you because he understands how good a friend you are to me." Harry reassured.

"Do I look ok?" He asked meekly, understanding what Harry was trying to say and changing the subject.

"You look good Neville," and he did. Neville was heavier than Harry more on the level of Theodore. So instead of close fitting fabrics, he was encased in smooth black pants that were slightly baggy around this legs and covered in silver chains and electric blue stitching. He had on a midnight blue shirt that slid and shown across his torso. It had short sleeves so his tan muscular arms, achieved from working with his beloved plants, were displayed. His rounded face and light hazel eyes made him look younger than he was, but not too badly. His short brown hair was controlled with gel and blond highlights had been added for contrast.

"If it's any consolation, I am nervous too. Someone is going to be there tonight that I haven't seen in awhile." Harry added hoping that Neville would relax knowing it was normal to be nervous but try an have fun any way.

"Well whoever it is, they are going to get an eyeful." Neville said in answer. Harry was in black leather pants, with an emerald green vest, the vest had the top few buttons undone showing off the muscles he had gained from years at the Dursleys and Severus' lessons. The bottom of the vest did not completely touch the pants. His hair was the same as the first time they went. Harry's only accessory was a black choker with a piece of hammered silver in the shape of a snake as the focus.

"We had better get down to the dungeons or we will be left behind." Harry observed, but knew full well they wouldn't be left, he had a date with the Dark Lord after all no one was quite stupid enough to interfere.

He led Neville down to the Slytherin Common Room where Pansy was ready to let them in to use the floo. Neville managed to contain his curiosity so he wasn't caught staring at everything in the serpent house.

They were soon standing in the entrance to Hell's Paradise. Harry had to put his hand on Neville's back and physically steer him into the club. Yet he wondered why he was so insistent on Neville facing his fear when he was having trouble with his own. He honestly wasn't as terrified as he thought he would be. That confused him until he held onto the conversation he had with Draco and Severus. He was supposed to use this to keep his cool when dealing with the Dark Lord. He could use all the courage he could muster.

Besides the immediate shroud of the Essence that perpetually covered Hell's Paradise. There was no single source strong enough to be the Dark Lord there that he could sense anyway. It was altogether possible that Voldemort was there hidden by glamours and shielding.

He decided the most direct way of meeting Voldemort would be to unmask his own Essence and wait for the Dark Lord to come to him. To settle his last hold out of nervousness he started to dance. He didn't know the majority of people he danced with, and couldn't honestly tell you the names afterwards. Some of his dance partners were women but his favorite and the majority by far were men. Some of his partners had the essence but nothing even close to his own, let alone what he remembered Voldemort's to be.

The first hint of Voldemort came in the form of a strong wave of Essence that let anyone in the club, with the Essence or not, know that someone very strong was near. By the time a tall lithe figure entered the club, Harry had become used to the strong Essence, and a bizarre side effect of that wall of concentrated Darkness was the loss of whatever nervousness had still been within him.

The figure glided like a specter through the crowd. If it weren't for the waves of power emanating from the figure he could have been mistaken for just another attractive male. His smoldering scarlet orbs were partially shielded by black hair cut shortly leaving just enough to frame his face and brush his neck. He was dressed entirely in black with no embellishments or adornments. The look on his face, so much like a predator, had the mass of bodies moving aside not missing a beat of the throbbing music as they danced. Seeing the mass of gyrating humanity wasn't even a remote distraction for his hunter Harry let his Essence flair to full volume for a second than let it return to it resting rate.

Upon entering the club, Voldemort knew his prize was there. The other Essence he felt was dust compared to the single Dark Flame that drew him to it like a moth. His own power flowed through him joining the flood from the figure in front of him. It connected and merged like two lovers embracing, the perfect harmony of darkness.

The temptation was too much. He could not fight, and he really didn't feel like fighting, the pull towards that darkly dangerous wizard. He easily slid up to Harry replacing his current dance partner, who with a shrug melted back into the crowd. Voldemort felt like he was dancing with death itself with Harry pressed against his body. Severus had warned him that Harry had grown up to be strong and powerful, but he had been unprepared for the intensity of this new Harry. It was like being placed under an imperious that you had no wish to resist, a most unusual feeling for the Dark wizard.

If Voldemort felt like he was dancing with death, Harry felt as if the Grim Reaper was calling his name. He willingly welcomed the Dark Lord's embrace. As the Essence washed over him bringing wave upon wave of arousal. The solid body sliding smoothly against him wreaking havoc on his own. He had known what the Dark Lord felt like, and yet this was new and exciting. It made him forget for the few moments of heir dance who was who. It came as a slight surprise when he regained his mind just enough to realize the feared Dark Lord Voldemort had given up control of their dance to a fourteen year old boy.

A smooth hissing brought Harry back to reality. _"Ah, my little Lion, how you have grown."_

The parseltongue sent yet another jolt to his lower belly before he replied in the same language making sure to stress just the right syllables. _"I am neither Lion nor Snake yet at the same time both."_

"_Your words are like a venom so sweetly toxic they are poisoned honey spilling from your lips."_ Voldemort hissed out in a gruff expression of need and desire.

"_What have you come for?"_ Harry asked seriously, remaining in parseltongue, but getting down to business before they both lost themselves again.

"_I came for you my little venomous Lion." _Voldemort hissed back. _"I need to know my follower's efforts were not wasted and I have found no disappointments."_ Voldemort moved so that the hissing words tickled Harry's ear, pulling the thin body ever closer.

"_Ah, for that I owe you. Severus would never have gone to the lengths he did if it weren't for your orders." _Harry replied in like, ghosting the syllables over the pale ear.

They were now dancing so close together it was hard for onlookers to tell whether they were dancing or having sex. Both leather clad bodies pressed into each other covering the other from view. Harry was still a bit shorter than Voldemort but he had a few years left to grow. He wasn't thinking about that at the moment. He was focused on the body pressed against his and the words whispered in his ears.

"_Ah, but to waste our noble gifts is a true crime. You saved yourself that day. A few more years of careful training and you will be ready to take your place." _Voldemort hissed triumphantly as yet another song started and there bodies weren't so much dancing as melting into each other.

"_My place at your feet."_ The edge of anger turning the hiss deadly.

"_Not you my little Lion. Your pride will never let you kneel to anyone. I would derive no pleasure from your submission, only if you were under Dumbledore's control would I ever want those Avada Kedavara eyes turned up to me in hatred. You prove yourself to me and you have a place at my side not my feet." _The hissing this time was low and enticing, a truly erotic sound for another speaker.

"_I see, why am I granted this honor when you have my mentor submit?" _Harry questioned, the hiss a near purr in quality the vibrations sending shivers down Voldemort's spine. A feeling he hadn't felt in a long time.

"_You are stronger than they are. My Inner Circle walk as close to my side as you can get within my ranks. They are the strongest and most cunning wizards of their time, and you beat them all. Severus knows you will soon surpass his teachings. When that happens, I will teach you. I knew you had potential, but I never thought you would grow into this. Dumbledore very nearly ruined the strongest wizard I have ever met." _Voldemort said once more in the seductive hissing.

"_I can accept that." _Harry hissed before the Essence finally overwhelmed him. The Dark Lord got the shock of his life when Harry pulled his head down. Their bodies intertwining together as their lips met.

Death met the Reaper once again as the two warred for more contact. Melting into each other their hot blood racing as sweat appeared on them. They devoured each other with unabashed abandon. Arms went around necks to keep them in place as the heat built up inside. Darkness flared around them as they recklessly continued with passion and fire, tinged with a touch of evil.


	15. Nothing to Hide

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Nothing to Hide**

(Naked-Seether)**  
**

"Who is that dancing with Harry?" Neville asked Draco, who had kept near the nervous Gryffindor knowing Harry would have his head if something happened to him while Harry was busy.

Draco glanced over to confirm who he thought it was and felt his eyes widen in shock. That was so not what he was expecting judging from Harry's previous nervousness. Plastering himself against Voldemort was definitely on the top ten most shocking things Harry could possibly do list. The biggest shock was Harry seemed to be enjoying it and participating willingly, with no hesitation at all.

"You do not want to know the answer to that just yet. You can ask Harry when he gets back but I will not be the one to tell you." Draco dodged Neville's question not sure if Harry wanted him to know or not.

"It can't be that bad can it?" Neville asked a bit naively though to his credit he did not know just how much Harry had embraced the darkness.

"Depends on what you consider bad. This is just one of those things I think Harry should explain himself if he chooses to." Draco replied smoothly.

"Alright, I will wait for him." Neville conceded. Looking back at the dancing couple just in time to see them kiss, well devour each other would be the better term. He felt the crimson red blush rise up his neck at the sight.

Draco was too busy practically drooling himself to notice Neville's reaction. He had to admit it was quite the spectacle and more than a few people had stopped dancing to watch the two dark wizards going at it.

"Is that who I think it is?" Theodore asked Draco as he joined them in watching the two.

Draco just nodded curtly. He wasn't going to lie to his best friend, but he knew he had just made Neville even more curious which would make it harder for Harry to deny him an explanation. "Is it wrong to think they look good together?" Theodore asked absently.

"It would be the truth." Draco answered still distracted by the spectacle.

Finally the two on the dance floor broke their kiss. Everyone watching felt the stirring of disappointment within them. It had been a wonderful sight after all, everyone felt more than a bit hot under the collar for watching but didn't feel any shame.

Voldemort hissed once more in Harry's ear, _"I will be looking forward to our next meeting my venomous lion, I will find you when it is time for your new teacher."_

"_I will be waiting," _Harry hissed enticingly.

"_I must take my leave, you must not be caught this soon in the game, in time you may reveal for all to see who you truly are." _Voldemort warned gently as he broke the contact between them and switched back to English. "Until we meet again." He spoke loudly enough to be heard by the surrounding wizards and witches.

"As you wish." Harry answered gracefully.

Both wizards inclined their heads in new found respect before the Dark Lord once more strode through the crowd and exited, apparating away into the night.

Harry felt his breath leave him in a rush as his heart started to race. The anxiety that had been pushed away during the meeting had returned full force leaving him dazed. Had he really just done that? What had possessed him to say those things? Shaking his head to clear away some of the fog he slowly returned to his companions.

Immediately zeroing in on Neville he grabbed his arm and lead him out on the floor.

"I know you have questions, go ahead and ask." Harry encouraged gently as he revealed the reason for pulling Neville to the side.

"Who was that? I assume that was the person you were worried about seeing tonight?" He asked having put two and two together and getting the correct answer.

"Are you sure you are ready for the answer?" Harry asked flashing back to their conversation in the common room.

"Yes Harry, I really think I am." Neville answered without hesitation.

"That was Tom Riddle, Neville I was just dancing with the Dark Lord," Harry whispered into Neville's ear.

Neville went pale at those words. He had been half expecting something like that from the way Draco had avoided the question, but to actually hear it was a bit hard. "I assume you knew what you were doing?" Neville asked giving his friend the benefit of the doubt.

"I actually had no idea how tonight would turn out. I was afraid he would overpower me completely, but I think I managed to surprise him enough that didn't happen." Harry replied honestly.

"I think you two managed to surprise just about everyone here. I do believe some of them had to leave to change their clothes." Neville mentioned slyly and Harry was caught completely off guard.

"Uh, who are you and what have you done with Neville?" He asked incredulously.

"I am not completely stupid. I may not know much about politics but I do live in a boy's dorm in case you forgot." He responded dryly and Harry had to remind himself that Neville really was more than he appeared.

"Was it really that impressive?" Harry inquired curiously.

"Yes." Neville answered simply.

"I hadn't realized, I was a bit overwhelmed myself at the time. He has quite the presence." Harry mused.

"So what was with the kiss anyway? What did that mean?"

"I don't know what to think of it anymore. There is still time before he will reveal his plans to me. I have to get all the training I can from my current teacher first. I don't know where this will lead but I will admit I am curious to find out."

"Harry I think I have made my decision."

"Chose wisely, this is one thing that you don't get second chances on, if you are not completely sure than do not say another word until you are." Harry warned.

"I am as sure as I will ever be. Harry I wont stand by either Voldemort or Dumbledore, I stand by you. Whoever has your loyalty has mine. I will do what is assigned to me but understand you are my Lord not them. If this means I will be helping Voldemort and the Dark side than so be it." Neville pressed convincingly.

Harry was completely floored. "Why me?" He nearly squeaked and when questioned later would deny it fervently.

"Because you are the only one who gave me a choice, you told me the good and the bad of both sides, and your reasons for following whom you do. I do not like what Dumbledore has done, but I am not quite ready to completely forgive, or trust, the dark lord. I trust you to let me know everything I need to know and I also understand you may not be able to protect me should something go wrong, but I know the risks and I am willing to take them." Neville answered coherently and Harry understood this was not a spur of the moment decision and Neville had simply been waiting for the right time.

"Alright Neville I think I understand, I hope your trust in me is not misplaced. I will do my best to be the person you think I am. I will also be speaking with my teacher. If you truly want this you will need more protection than just the Hogwarts curriculum can give. You do not have to learn the Dark Arts right away but it is something to think about. I also still plan on starting that defense club you asked about, if you train up the way I think you will, you may end up being able to help me teach the others if you wish to." Harry responded formally.

"Thank you Harry, I will work as hard as I can." Neville answered respectfully.

"Should we head back to the others now? I can't see them anymore and I think they may be getting worried about us." Harry broke the heavy conversation. Everything that needed to be said was already stated and he had went through too much of that for one night.

Knowing that Harry needed a break from everything Neville just nodded and started trying to spot the rest of their group amongst the crowd. They both had a lot to think about now, but for once it wasn't all bad.


	16. Having No Life at All

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Having No Life At All**

(How Do You Get That Lonely- Blaine Larsen)

Harry was stuck in History of Magic class. It was an absolute waste of time, just sitting there getting nothing done. In the past he had used the time to work on his homework for his other classes, or review the latest spells Severus had taught him in his mind, but today he was actually interested in what the ghost was talking about, but the sedative affect of the ghosts voice was making paying attention difficult.

He idly thought about what would happen if they actually had a competent History teacher, maybe they wouldn't repeat quite as many mistakes of the past. The ghostly professor really could use a replacement. The man must have been teaching for longer than even Dumbledore had been alive, surely the boredom inducing drone of the ghost was the result of going over the same material so much it even began to bore himself.

To be honest he was enjoying the normality of just going to classes and trying not to fall asleep. After the adrenaline rush of meeting Voldemort in person he needed the slow down. He still felt the older wizard's presence like an electric charge dancing across his skin. It was invigorating but also slightly frightening. Voldemort had left his mark on him, more than the visible scar, he was now entrenched in Harry's very flesh.

Harry's attitude when they returned from that eventful night at Hell's Paradise was so different from the old Harry even students in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, who generally stayed out of the fight between Gryffindor and Slytherin, started noticing something was up with the hero of the wizarding world.

He was showing the changes that had been wrought in him over the summer. It frightened some, intrigued a few more, and even made a few people look on with pride. Even his head of house McGonagul had been seen giving him nods of approval when he showed his more outspoken personality. To her he was finally growing into his parents legacy, but these changes were all Harry. This was the real Harry, and he was letting everyone see that for the first time.

During his musings time had passed beyond his notice, and he was shocked when the bell rang signaling the end of the class. He made a mental note to privately look up the information Binns had been droning on about while he gathered his things and left the room.

He quickly strode down the hall, he was trying to avoid as many of the other students as possible. His next class was potions, and by now he knew most of the short cuts to the dungeon from just about all of his main classrooms. Thus he took some twists an turns not normally used and in one of them he saw a sight that made him stop short.

A single student was cowering on their knees at the feet of three others. He knew the student on the ground, and unfortunately he knew the ones attacking her.

"STOP!" He commanded to the three standing students. Hermione's chocolate brown eyes locked on his at the sound of his voice trough her tears he could see her fear.

"What in the Hell is going on?" He demanded.

"Mind your own business Potter!" Ron snarled at him.

"Let Hermione go, she hasn't done anything wrong." Harry commanded coldly.

"She is a traitor to Gryffindor! We are simply teaching her a lesson." Ron sneered.

"Get out of here before I make you leave?" Harry warned.

"I don't think so, we finally have you alone," Ron challenge and signaled to the two other boys, they looked to be younger than Harry and Ron, they took up positions around Ron. Unconsciously mimicking the way Crabbe and Goyle protected Draco in their younger years.

Harry lost his temper, "BOMBARDA!" He screamed the blasting hex strong enough to send the three boys flying. "I warned you to get out of here I meant it!" he told them victoriously as Hermione came closer to him.

Ron didn't bother to fight back or say anything, he barked a command at his cronies and marched off down the hall his nose in the air. Harry just stared at the trembling form of Hermione. He didn't know what to say. Ever since second year they had barely spoken, and yet he couldn't just walk away from her, she used to be a very good friend.

He dropped to his knees on the cold stone floor to take the crying form of one of his oldest friends into his arms. "What happened Hermione?" He didn't expand on the question any further.

At first it looked like Hermione wasn't going to answer, finally she started speaking. "Ron had gone completely mad. Ever since what happened to Ginny he has just been getting worse. He wasn't just attacking you after awhile it was anyone who was ever involved at all in the whole thing. At first he didn't do anything to me but he stopped speaking to me about the same time you started hanging out with the Slytherins more.

I didn't know what to do Harry, you were with them, they wouldn't accept a mudblood like me, even if you accepted my apologies for not standing up to Ron for you. This year though I realized we are all getting older and those things didn't mean as much as they used to. I tried to contact you, I wrote you a letter explaining everything that happened and asking for your forgiveness. Ron found the letter and had been calling me a Traitor ever since, this is the first time they have found me alone. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come." She explained tearfully. Harry didn't see the calm intelligent witch that had been his friend but a very scared teenager who just been attacked.

He felt himself get angry, what in the world was the Wizarding world coming to? They were all still children at this school. He hated to admit it but they were. They were being taught to attack and hate anything different or unusual. They should never have been involved in the war and now they were the front lines.

"Hermione what if I told you I was fighting against the Light side?" He decided to be blunt with her and see if it worked if it didn't he was ready with an Obliviate spell on his lips.

"At this point I would ask where I could sign up. I hate them Harry, I mean really hate them, they have no right to do this to me!" She was obviously angry, and Harry was glad to see her tears stop flowing.

"Than when Snape gives us detention, and he will for missing class, make sure you come with me. If you really want to go against the Light you will come, if you decide not to then don't bother. Once you are in there is no going back." He warned taking the same approach with her he had used on Neville.

"I am not going to change my mind," She answered stubbornly her fright diminishing as he helped her up from the floor.

He was glad, with Hermione and Neville on his side he was building up a strong base of followers. When the day came for him to go to Voldemort, he wouldn't come empty-handed.

Yes things were falling into place nicely, he just wondered how it was all going to play out.


	17. Make You Come Alive

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Make You Come Alive**

(Let It Rock-Kevin Rudolph)

"What in the world were you thinking Harry!" Severus barked at him the moment he entered their training room, with Hermione close on his heels. "Longbottom I can almost understand, but why her?"

"I found her being attacked by several Gryffindors for trying to contact me. I couldn't just leave her and after I saved her we talked a bit and she wants to be on our side." Harry explained quickly, very carefully shielding Hermione from direct view just yet.

"The old Voldemort would rip her to pieces, and several of the current Death Eaters still would, are you crazy!" Severus pointed out.

"I am not afraid Professor. I know what I am getting into and I can hold my own." Hermione spoke up moving out from behind Harry. She had made her choice she wouldn't just hide behind her friend.

Severus locked gazes with the Gryffindor witch for several minutes during which Harry began to wonder if he should interfere, before he finally spoke to her. "This will not be easy, and you may not come out alive. Neither Harry or I can guarantee your protection even if we are in the same room as you. You will have to fight back with every bit of your power, and if you show no affinity for Dark magic than you may as well leave now while you still have a life."

"I understand the risks professor. I am not asking for a babysitter. I would rather take my chances with the Dark side than continue on with the Light. I am honestly not sure what the difference between them even is anymore." She confessed never breaking eye contact with her professor. "I made the mistake of leaving Harry's side before, I am not going to do it again."

"Then we better get started. I want you trained as fast as possible. It looks like I am going to be teaching more students than I thought." Severus commented.

"Not necessarily, Neville actually had a good idea. He wants me to start a defense class so the students can learn to protect themselves. If I do that I can train Neville and Hermione up to the point you have taught me. If more people want in on it I will teach them as well." Harry informed him.

"That just might work, but I will not let you do it without me supervising, at least for the first couple of meetings. Being able to cast the magic and being able to teach it are two different things as your previous Defense teachers should have clued you in on." Severus warned.

"I was hoping you would say something like that." Harry admitted.

"Harry, just how long have you been working with Professor Snape?" Hermione asked hesitantly after watching the interaction between the two.

"It started the summer after second year. He left me a couple books to read to start to understand before he ever started to really teach me anything." Harry answered shortly.

"Why? I mean no offense Professor but you really seemed to detest Harry." Her curiosity had been spiked, but she kept her questions short and to the point, if they didn't answer she wouldn't push.

Harry looked to Severus before he answered this one, after getting a short nod he told her. "He was ordered to by Voldemort, we had met in the chamber and he was interested in me. Professor Snape was the only one close enough to Hogwarts to teach me, so he got stuck with the job. It was only after I got old enough to understand everything a little better that we started to enjoy the training sessions." Harry confessed.

"I can't believe its only been two years since everything started, so much has changed." Hermione observed knowing more questions was not the best thing to continue right now.

"You only know the half of it, everything has changed for me, everything." Harry agreed with her ruefully.

"I think it is best if we leave the story telling for another night. We need to get started here. Harry why don't you practice what we have already done, while I see just how much potential Miss. Granger has." Severus ordered.

Hermione walked without hesitation over to Severus. She had asked for this, if she was scared of him than she really had no clue what she was up against.

"Alright, to learn Dark magic the thing you must have is trust in your teacher. If you do not trust me than I can't teach you, before you ask this is because the magic we are going to be working with is very dangerous, if I give you an order or do something we haven't discussed you have to have faith that I am doing it for your own good." Severus started out easily, this may not seem important but it would become more so as the magic got more difficult.

"It is mainly for this reason that we are on first name bases in this room. Harry and I have been working together for long enough we are unlikely to slip in public anymore. We are starting out late enough with you that I am giving you the choice of whether or not to use first names or not, but either way you may drop the Professor title while we are practicing."

"I would like to use first names, it's more comfortable for me." She admitted.

"Okay. Now Hermione I am going to teach you a few basic Dark spells, they are the equivalent of first year Light spells. These won't help you much in a duel against stronger opponents but they will tell us if you have the ability for Dark Arts." He explained, not quite comfortable with using her first name, but it was about her trust not his.

"Alright what are they?" She asked trying to ignore the spells being cast at the other end of the room by Harry at a conjured target.

"Extracto Folicolis, is the hair pulling curse. Painful but non-lethal and only classified as Dark because it leaves traces of the Essence on people." He explained hoping her habit of reading every book in sight had already told her of the Essence.

"How is it cast?" She asked confirming his assumption.

"Like this," he replied showing her the movement with his own wand. He then conjured up a target for her to aim the curse at not really feeling like being her test subject at this stage.

With determination in her eyes she carefully cast the curse. The bright orange spell hit the target and was absorbed, and for a few seconds the Essence was on her, it retreated after a few moments because of the weakness of the spell, but its presence was a good sign,

"Very good, you will have the ability to learn what you need to know. I can tell you now that about sixty percent of Muggleborns are unable to perform Dark arts." He revealed. She got a look of pride on her face upon hearing that. She would prove she was strong to everyone who got in her way, she would make sure about that!


	18. Primitive fight

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Primitive Fight**

(Eyes of the Tiger- Survivor)**  
**

Harry was very busy over the next several weeks. Not only was he going to his normal classes he was also attending his own training sessions and overseeing Hermione's and Neville's, plus he was going through what he had learned to try and come up with a teaching plan for the dueling club, both the regular and the Dark ones. To him it was a good thing he had been kicked off the Quidditch team, even though Gryffindor was losing horribly, he wouldn't have had the time to enjoy it anyway.

His grades felt the effects of his over tight schedule, he wasn't failing anything, but they had definitely seen better days. He made sure his Potion's and Defense grades were as good as he could get them or he knew Severus would have his hide. Charms and Transfiguration were a different story altogether.

Thus he was very pleased on the day he managed to finish up his plans for the dueling clubs and have Severus check them over for him so he didn't have some incompetent student blowing themselves up with a miscast banishing hex. He wanted to challenge the students and push them to do their best, but if his plans were too full or too difficult Severus would notice and warn him.

"These look acceptable, you might have to wait and see who Longbottom and Hermione managed to convince to come. You may be able to speed up or slow down depending on the students involved. I will help you when I have time, but there has been more activity as of late." Severus warned after giving the plans a very thorough examination.

"Dumbledore or Voldemort?" Harry asked not knowing who was more active at the moment.

"Right now the Dark Lord is regrouping and testing his followers. The Death Eaters are getting a much needed tune up, those fanatics that might be inclined to hurt your friend are either learning to control their impulses or they are removed. At this stage we can't have them out of control too much opportunity for disaster. It is Dumbledore who is being more active at the moment. He is doing all he can to keep people from finding out the Dark Lord has regained his sanity." Severus explained rubbing his temple absently as the beginnings of a headache flared up from just thinking about the amount of work he had to do.

"How did Dumbledore find out about that anyway?" Harry asked curiously hoping he wouldn't stress out his mentor too much by asking more questions.

"It was a combination of things, he had to come back and start from the beginning as a sixteen year old, the fact he let you go in your second year something the old Voldemort would never have done, and because I told him. The Dark Lord gave me permission to let that part slip. We want Dumbledore as paranoid as possible. If he is suspicious of everyone then no one stands out as a threat. We need that smoke screen for when we are ready to truly start making some changes." This answer sparked Harry's interest, apparently the Dark Lord's plans were far more intricate than he would have guessed. It made him that much more interested in the Dark side and it's Lord in particular.

"Harry I noticed you seem to be asking questions easier than in the past, you are improving." Severus took the opportunity to point out the noticeable change in his ward. It had been awhile since he had commented on the things he had originally set out to help the boy with.

"It is slow going, but it is worth it." Harry replied.

"Are you really going to be alright teaching this thing? There will be a lot of people, they will be asking you endless questions and you will have to question them as well. You are a lot better than you were two years ago, but this is something that would strain someone without social problems?" Severus asked seriously unable to keep quiet any longer. Being strong in front of people he knew and trusted was one thing but in front of a roomful of people he barely knew was going to be tough.

"I can do it Severus, I know I can. If I have trouble Neville and now Hermione will be there to calm me down. I am not worried about panicking as much as I am losing my temper. I don't know how well my patience will hold up, but the actual teaching I can do." He answered emphatically.

"Just be careful," Severus warned.

"I do need something though," Harry mentioned pensively, and Severus welcomed the change in pace.

"What do you need?" Severus played along.

"A guinea pig," Harry answered completely seriously.

"?" Severus couldn't even formulate a vocal response, what would Harry need a small furry rodent or?

"I don't mean the animal, I need someone to teach the Dark Arts on, preferably someone easy to Obliviate so I don't have to kill them afterwards." Harry clarified.

"For a minute there I was worried, but yes I can see your point. It would be helpful to have a living target for you to practice on. I will warn you that multiple Obliviates have a tendency to permanently ruin a person's memory so whoever you chose better be expendable."

"I have a candidate in mind already." He admitted.

"Does it happen to be a fourth year Gryffindor male with red hair and freckles does it?" Severus asked mischievously.

"If Neville ever heard you act like this he would faint," Harry mentioned before replying, "and yes it was Ron I was thinking of. He has attacked a member of his own side for something that wasn't an offense. He should pay for it."

"That is why he has never seen it," Severus admitted.

"That would be amusing though," Harry mused.

With that comment Severus winced, "My reputation would be ruined I would never be able to control them again."

"I am actually not sure if you were joking there or not," Harry responded cautiously.

"That will just remain my little secret then." Severus answered scaring Harry even more.

"Well not that I don't enjoy this but I have an illegal club to start and a weasel to catch so I better get going." Harry escaped when he could leaving Severus to just shake his head in resignation, he had done the unthinkable, Severus Snape had officially gone soft.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Neville was momentarily started when a note appeared on top of the book he was attempting to study. It had just popped up out of thin air. Knowing better than to touch a note with unknown origins he read it without touching.

Nev,

Plans are completed, first meeting will be in the dungeons

tomorrow night. Severus has informed me of a place where

we can practice. Do not let anyone get caught! If they do

have Hermione Obliviate the teacher, as a last resort.

Harry

Neville wondered how on earth they were going to get everyone to the dungeons without being caught, but it would be the same problem no matter where they met. Although with Severus on their side it might actually be easier, they would be safe once they entered the dungeon just getting there would be the part they had to worry about. He wondered why Harry had sent a note instead of coming himself, but soon put it out of his mind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Harry was currently stalking through the halls in search of his prey. He couldn't actually kidnap Ron until closer to the meeting, but this was necessary to know when and how to catch him. Ron was more intelligent than Crabbe and Goyle had been, but then again a cockroach would be smarter than them, anyway Harry doubted Ron would be thick enough to fall for the enchanted cupcake thing, especially since he had been in on the idea in their second year.

Harry also wanted him to be mostly intact for the meeting. If there was too much damage on him from before hand the examples wouldn't show as much. This was ultimately for the benefit of the students he was going to be teaching, the very fortunate bonus of extracting revenge was only the secondary goal.

The Weasel was definitely up to no good. In the two hours that Harry dogged his steps in total silence Ron had confronted no less than six, mostly younger students, usually with general harassment but there was a few more serious run ins that Harry managed to cast a shield over the poor souls that deflected most of Ron's misdirected wrath.

Hermione had been right. Ron had gone insane. He had become the very thing he hated, pure evil. There were no redeeming qualities to him anymore. His once brilliant strategic mind was now focused on hurting as many people as possible as quick as he could. That was not an admirable quality but it did firm up Harry's resolve to use him as target practice even if Ron wouldn't remember it.

If an accident just happened to occur and Ron didn't survive the year Harry didn't think it would be a great loss, and he certainly would feel no guilt if the Obliviates he planned to use messed up Ron forever, from what he had seen the red head deserved it. Ron had absolutely no excuse, Ginny had died yes, but mister high and mighty Gryffindor wasn't the only one who had lost loved ones to the war, some far more recent and more violent than Ginny's relatively painless death. For her death was more like falling into sleep and just never waking up, when all was said and done she was one of the lucky ones. No one else had reacted to a death like Ron had, leaving him with no reason for it.

Yes, this first lesson was going to be fun.

Right now though Harry was pissed off from what he had seen Ron doing. His magic was pushing at the bonds he had placed on it so he didn't level Hogwarts. He needed to fight someone, anything, or he was going to explode.

Heading towards the dungeon he hoped to run into someone he wouldn't be afraid to fight. He didn't want to hurt anyone he cared about, but he didn't think he would be able to completely control the strength of his spells. He really needed to let go though.

When he arrived at Severus' office the potion's master took one look at him and knew what the problem was. "I can't help you tonight, I am off on a mission for Dumbledore." He explained quickly hating the codger even more for making him unable to perform his duty.

"Do you know anyone who could?" Harry managed to ask through clenched teeth, straining to hold in his magic.

"Yes, but you are going to have to trust me." Severus hurried to answer noticing the strain Harry was under.

"You know I trust you, I can't hold on long, who ever it is do it now." Harry practically begged.

"Remember, trust me, you won't be harmed." Severus answered as he handed Harry a leather band, "this is a port key to him. Wear it on your upper arm and it will bring you to him and back to here. Put your other hand over the band and say the word 'serpent' and it will activate."

Harry snatched up the band and fastened it snuggly around his left arm, covering it with his right hand he whispered 'serpent' and he felt the tell tale pull at his navel. It whisked him through the wards of Hogwarts and to wherever Severus decided to send him.

Severus knew Harry would not be harmed, but he wondered if it was the best idea to give the boy his only mode of instant transportation, if he was called while the boy was away with it he would waste precious time getting outside of any wards. That band had been a very complicated peace of spell work that his Lord had helped him create to avoid the Hogwarts' defenses. Dumbledore was not aware of the band's existence, and thus Severus only had to inform him of meetings they both knew were coming.

He didn't have time to dawdle though, he really did have a mission for Dumbledore, and was one of the rare times the Headmaster had used Severus on a mission outside of Hogwarts.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Dark Lord was taking a well deserved rest after going through several groups of his followers weeding out the fanatics and noting those truly loyal to him and the cause. He had finally sent the last group away less than fifteen minutes prior to this and he was already relaxing. He did not get to relax often so when he got the chance he used the time to its fullest.

He was pulled from his musings however when he felt the wards tingle, alerting him that someone that was not blocked was coming through. Only three of his followers had direct access to him at any given time, and those three were used to seeing him like this by this time, thus he made no moves to pull himself into a more intimidating pose.

He was not expecting the incoming person to land in a heap at his feet, at first he didn't recognize the boy, but when his shield broke under the pressure of built up magic there was no mistaking who this was. "Harry?"

When the brunette wizard collected himself enough to look up Voldemort caught sight of flaming emerald eyes. The young man was practically radiating magic and the Dark Lord felt him struggling to rein it in. he immediately knew why Severus had sent him.

"You need to duel," it wasn't a question. The wizard formerly known as Tom Riddle helped Harry to his feet and led him through the halls of his Head quarters, knowing Harry would be too out of it to really remember much at this point in time.

They finally arrived at the room he had specifically warded for dueling practice. "Alright Harry, if we are dueling there will be rules. The only spell not allowed is the killing curse, anything else is fair game including Cruciatus. Next if for some reason you have to stop you can call the match by dropping your wand. Now we will start on three."

Harry listened closely knowing he was about to get the work out of his life. By this point his magic was practically humming with all the pent up energy. Waiting for the Dark Lord's count was the hardest thing Harry had to do. Only the fact he didn't have to hide his magic behind a shield had kept him stable for this long.

"Alright Harry, One! Two! Three!" Voldemort shouted across the room and immediately shot a spell at Harry who dodged it and sent one back, thus starting the duel.

What followed was three solid hours of spells, dodging, and swearing. Both of them were bleeding in several places, Harry had been hit with Crucio at least three times, and Voldemort had been hit once. Harry was now able to think coherently and actually enjoy the duel instead of just putting as much power as he dared into each spell.

Voldemort was enjoying dueling Harry. He moved smoothly and the power he held was massive. His style was still rough but given he had only really been training for two years, the fact he was even holding his own, let alone equaling the Dark Lord spoke volumes. Not to mention for the few brief seconds he had endured Harry's Crucio it had actually hurt. By this point in his life he had worked up a tolerance level high enough Bellatrix's merely stung.

When Harry finally grew tired and dropped his wand to call off the duel Riddle himself was tired out. Voldemort decided to take the golden opportunity offered to him and talk to Harry face to face without people listening.

"Why didn't Severus take care of this himself?" Riddle asked.

"He couldn't, the old fool has him busy, I didn't know this was where he was sending me until I landed, although I probably should have guessed." Harry admitted ruefully.

"I assume he allowed you to use the band we developed?" He found himself curious about that.

"Yes," The Gryffindor answered shortly.

With that Voldemort got an idea, but it wouldn't be worth it unless Harry ran into this problem a lot. "What got you so angry? Does it happen a lot?"

"I was tracking down someone to use for target practice, what I saw him doing in the few hours I followed him was enough to royally piss me off. I don't usually go off that strongly, but I have been having more trouble controlling my magic lately." Harry figured Voldemort would not take kindly to evasion so he decided to just answer the questions without fuss.

"I thought this might happen I believe the problem is your shield. You simply have too much power to be held back all at once. It will press to be released in any way it can especially if you happen to be upset. I suggest removing your shields when you are in a safe place, if that isn't often enough then make a new safe place where you can get things done from. The more your power is allowed to flow freely the less build up there will be.

I believe that making you a similar band to the one Severus lent you would be advisable. You are starting to get to the point I warned you about. Severus is a very strong wizard but not so strong that he has to release magic every day like you or I do, when you find yourself too full of energy to be safe dueling him or anyone else of your accompaniments you can come back here. I will begin teaching you, but not on a schedule at this point." Voldemort laid out for Harry.

"I understand what you are saying, and I will follow your advice. You know more than I do on the matter anyway." Harry commented after some thought.

"Good choice, now if you do not get back to Hogwarts soon your absence will be noticed, it is almost breakfast time if I remember correctly. We really must meet again soon though. _It was nice seeing you my venomous Lion_," Voldemort dismissed him but switched to Parseltongue at the end.

"I hadn't realized it was so late… or early depending on how you look at it, but yes I better be going. _I will be seeing you again my Grim Reaper."_ Harry answered silkily, before covering the band with his hand and whisking himself away with a single word.

Voldemort finally let the shiver that had been threatening to come out during their conversation it traveled through him making his spine quiver. Harry's voice when speaking Parseltongue did some very interesting things to important parts of his anatomy.

Little did he know Harry was shuddering as well for the same reason.


	19. I'm Your Fear

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**A/N** I want to warn all readers right now **Harry and Voldemort will not be monogamous!** This means that while they will love only each other, others may join them in the bedroom occasionally. If the idea of threesomes or multiple lovers disagrees with you, I'd advise skipping the well marked Sex scenes when we come to that point.

**Chapter Nineteen**

**I'm Your Fear**

(Down-Gravity Kills)**  
**

Harry did make it back to school in time to take a shower and change before heading to breakfast. Upon entering the hall he glanced at the Staff table to see if Severus was there, he wasn't.

Not overly concerned just yet, sometimes Dumbledore's missions took longer than one night. He know to wait until there was a confirmed problem before panic, or rushing into anything.

"Harry is something wrong?" Neville asked as he slid into a seat next to Harry.

"Professor Snape isn't here this morning," Harry answered quietly. "I'm sure it is nothing."

"Alright," Neville accepted the answer. "Is the meeting still on for tonight, or does he have to let us in?"

"He isn't the one that can, we set the room to have a parseltongue password, there are only two people that can open the door from the outside and that is the Dark Lord or myself." Harry assured him.

"I will pass it on to Hermione so Ron doesn't see you talking to her," Neville offered.

"I appreciate that Neville, but don't forget I need Ron tonight, we need him to be stupid enough to follow me." Harry reminded.

"You are hoping he is going to be mad enough to follow you, and you will take him out when no one is looking." Neville stated understanding the simple plan.

"Yep, pretty much, subtlety does not work on Ron so I am going to be direct. There is the plus side he will not remember me catching him tomorrow and if there are no Potions in his system to alert him I can use the same method to catch him every time we need him." Harry expanded the concept.

"That makes sense," Neville replied but his next observation was cut off by a smooth voice.

"Just what are you two plotting now?" Draco asked amicably as he advanced on the Gryffindor table.

"Good morning Draco," Harry said politely as he buttered a slice of toast, choosing to ignore the question.

"What do you want you filthy snake?" Ron's loud voice was the next addition to their little get together.

"I am just wishing my classmate a good day." Draco answered with an elegantly raised eyebrow, daring the Gryffindor to challenge him.

It looked like Draco's birthday had come early this year, "You are nothing but a slimy snake, go away now, you are not welcome here Slytherin!" Ron actually did a fairly good imitation of command.

Too bad Draco had grown up in Severus' and Lucius' shadows. "Harry do you mind if I sit with you? I need some help with my Defense work." Draco asked Harry courteously.

Neville and Harry slid apart giving Draco room to sit. All three boys continued to prepare their breakfast, ignoring the ugly red Ron's face was turning. It did not take long for the violently colored boy to run from he hall in a huff and the three boys at the table to start laughing.

"Seriously Draco what are you doing? That stunt you just pulled could get a lot of people in trouble. He has already beat up most of the Gryffindor first years for just speaking to a Slytherin. If any of them decide to make friends because of us, before I get Ron out of the way, he could cause a lot more trouble than some scared first years." Harry warned.

"I know Harry, I am sorry but it was necessary. This is about Defense by the way. You have a leak somewhere. There is a rumor going around about a dueling club being run by you. Someone is bound to mention it too close to a professor." Draco replied.

"Damn, I might need to use more than one Obliviate tonight. If we get caught I will do what is necessary to protect the students. I am not good enough with Legilimency yet to figure out who the leak is, this is where I wish Severus were here." Harry gripped.

"He will be back, he warned me before he left it might take awhile to finish his task." Draco informed him lowly. "I can help you screen the students if you want me to? I am not as good as Severus but I am a little better than you are."

"Yes, that will be a good help, you can meet Neville, Hermione, and the others near the Potion's classroom tonight so I have time to get down there and open the door before anyone figures out how I do it. The less people that know it is a parseltongue password the better." Harry accepted the offer.

"How do you expect to keep it a secret if you just talk about it in the Great Hall?" Draco asked incredulously.

"Do give me some credit Draco, I have a ward up around us, they can see us talking and they are hearing a lively conversation about Defense. They are not hearing a single word of importance." Harry responded with an indignant expression.

"Severus hasn't taught me that one," Draco admitted. The closest thing to an apology you could get from a Malfoy silencing charm or not.

"We better get going soon, or we will be late to class." Neville told them as he glanced down at his watch.

Harry nodded and stood up from the table, not quite suppressing a yawn, he had been up for over twenty-four hours now and had dueled the Dark Lord in those hours, including a few rounds of Crucio. To put it mildly he was exhausted, and sore.

Harry took a chance and slept through History of Magic, and barely kept his eyes open in Defense. He woke up a bit more after lunch and he was able to stay awake for Charms. Thankful for the free period after Charms he happily fell into his bed in Gryffindor tower to sleep for the few hours between classes and the meeting.

XXXXXX

Harry awoke hours later as a smirk slowly crossing his face. The nap had re-energized him and now he off to hunt himself a weasel.

He knew Ron would likely be holding court among the younger Gryffindors in the common room. It was time to topple the kind. Harry had gotten much better at playing the game since he had last played with Ron, the red-head would not know what hit him.

True to his suspicions Ron was lounging in an armchair near the fire, in the middle of terrorizing the younger years with tales of Slimy deceitful Slytherins. Harry didn't know what was more disgusting the terror on the young one's faces, or the older students looking at Ron in disgust but not bothering to stop him either.

"Hey Ron can I talk to you for a minute in the hall?" Harry knew he wasn't stupid enough to fall that easy but had to start somewhere.

"I refuse to speak with a Traitor like you." Ron yelled back, trying to show off for the young ones.

"Are you repulsed or just afraid to talk to me?" Harry challenged.

Ron flew up out of the chair he was in and started yelling. "Like Hell I will ever be afraid of scum like you! Murdering! Traitorous! Slytherin! Scum!"

"Care to prove it?" Harry let the insults roll off his back like water, his own family had said much worse.

"Come on then, I could wipe the floor with you anyway," Ron answered arrogantly, headed for the portrait, and right into Harry's trap.

Before he followed Harry turned to the frightened first and second years. "Don't listen to him, Slytherins are no more dangerous than any other house. Gryffindors are supposed to be the ones with bravery and honor, if any of us is a traitor it is that creature that just walked out of this room."

When he finally did come out of the portrait he easily dodged the oncoming spell. He pushed his hand forward and Ron found himself slammed against the wall immobilized once more. Harry went over to the first friend he had ever made and whispered in his ear, "The answer was fear."

Harry then stunned Ron and disillusioned the unconscious wizard. Levitating him all the way to the dungeons, not caring what he bumped into along the way.

The room Severus had shown him was a fair walk from the Potion's classroom. Few would even know of its existence if it weren't for the rare portrait of Salazar Slytherin, as this room had once been his personal training room. The wards on that room were almost as good as the ones on the Chamber of Secrets, but this was easier to access by other students, and harder for other Professors to find.

He kept Ron invisible for now, but reinforced the bindings on him to stop the regular students from finding out he was there. Ron was only there for the Dark Arts practice no more.

When the others finally arrived, he derived a small test for which he would be paying special attention to. He let go of his shields, not completely, because even those without the essence could feel his full power, it was just enough to make anyone with the Essence notice. Scanning the faces of the students he saw two looking around sharply, meeting their eyes he proved who the source was. Two people out of the thirty or so in front of him had an affinity for Dark strong enough to be trained.

"Welcome, I trust my friends have explained to you what is going on, you are here to learn how to fight. Anyone not interested in knowing how to defend yourself and protect others should leave now." Harry commanded easily, drawing up to his full height.

No one moved a muscle, Harry was kind of scary when he wanted to be. "Good, now I expect you to keep up, and ask for help if you need it, do not waste my time and I will not waste yours. We are going to start with the simplest spells first and work our way up. In my second year Lockhart started with Exspelliarmus, now I have no doubts over the usefulness of this spell I truly believe you should learn shields before learning any offensive spell work. If your opponent casts the first spell and all you know is how to disarm them, well whatever you get hit with had better be benign or quick." Harry slid through the crowd as he spoke, measuring up the students, trying to work out who was going to be best where.

"We will start with the simplest one first which is Protego, not very fancy but will stop most mild to moderate spells, and if the witch or wizard casting it is strong enough it can hold out over much stronger spells to." Harry once he hit his stride fell into teaching like a natural.

He split them up into partners. "Now I want BOTH partners to agree on which hex you are going to use to try and break through the shields. Both of you must know the counter, and it cannot leave any permanent marks." He ordered and the students scrambled to obey.

He prowled around watching them, both for their shields and for which hex they decided on using. That was a test in of itself who was going to push the limits and who was going to stay in the safe zone. He saw an abundance of tickling and tap-dancing hexes, which he had expected but his two new dark ones were using Body binds. Harry hadn't told them not to, but he still kept a sharp eye on them. They were performing both spells very well.

The first lesson ran smoothly, there were student's that struggled with the spell and some got it on the first try. Harry figured that would be the normal occurrence in this group, he just wondered if the ones who were really struggling with this spell were going to be able to continue with them for long. It was going to increase in difficulty, they may get left behind if they don't knuckle down and practice.

He had reapplied the spells on Ron throughout the night, keeping him quiet and in one spot. Just waiting for what would happen after he sent the Light ones on their way.


	20. Disappear in the Lie forever

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Twenty**

**Disappear in the Lie Forever**

(Killing Loneliness-HIM)**  
**

Harry decided for his first demonstration he should just take care of Neville and Hermione, once they were strong enough he would consider helping the other two he found in the regular dueling club. His new allies needed to know his power before he could really teach them. Just like there would come a time when Harry himself would outgrow Severus, there will be a time when the other two could no longer lean on the older wizard and would have to trust Harry was just as strong, or stronger as the case may be.

The time came swiftly for Harry to unbind Ron, but not removing the silencer, to begin the demonstration. Ron stood stalk still glaring his best death glare which just looked pitiful to Harry who had dueled with Voldemort for Merlin's sake.

Circling his once best friend like a jungle cat Harry let all the anger and disappoint he felt towards the maddened red-head flow through him, making the darker side of his magic sing. His blood boiled as his power flowed through him, filling him, completing him, and when his icy green eyes finally came to rest on Ron's angered blue ones a flash of acute fear flashed across Ron's face.

"You didn't honestly think you could get away with what you have done did you?" Harry practically hissed at Ron. "Beating up first years because they dared to even talk to a Slytherin? Hurting Hermione because she decided to grow up and you didn't? Attacking Slytherins years behind you just because of the badge on their chest? You really are pathetic aren't you?"

Ron looked like he was about to explode. He was red as a tomato and angrier then a lion with a sore paw. He looked like he wanted to punch or curse Harry into oblivion, and it just made Harry smile a little more maliciously. Good, an angry Ron was a stupid Ron, he might be nothing more than a common bully anymore but he still had one of the best tactical minds Harry had ever come across. It was a pity Harry planned on crushing every last ounce of reason out of Ron's mind bit by bit.

"Well guess what you have finally picked a fight with the wrong person. You are so busy convincing people I am dark did you ever think about what that actually means? You are just like my stupid Aunt's bulldogs, stupid and idiotic, you are a dog chasing cars, well guess what Ronald you are the dog that caught the car. What are you going to do now?" Harry ranted as he quietly released the silencing charm on Ron wondering when the angered Gryffindor would realize he could speak to defend himself.

Apparently it took about three seconds. "I knew it, this whole time you are a dark evil little Slytherin!" Ron shouted.

"That was the best you could do?" Harry commented still circling Ron like a predator. "Of all the evils in this word the thing you compare me to is a Slytherin? You really are just a pathetic fool aren't you? Tell you what I will even give you your wand back I want to see what the self-righteous Gryffindor can really do against the Dark you spew hatred at. Oh, and Ron this time I won't hold back." Harry held up Ron's wand and tossed it at him, and even Ron could not remember Harry taking it. Harry wasn't telling and Ron was too angry to ask. The truth was Harry had taken it from Ron in the common room easily enough, it wasn't difficult when Ron was too angered to be alert.

Ron didn't seem to realize if Harry had already taken his wand without a challenge once what was stopping him from doing it again? He charged at Harry like a rampaging buffalo and shouted the first spell that came to his lips, "Petrificus Totalus!"

Harry easily sidestepped the curse, and laughed while he did it, "A first year charm Ron? Pitiful, and by the way you should be casting your next spell now, not listening to me but I guess some people never learn. Expulso!" Harry cast at Ron, grazing the top of his head, the pungent smell of burning hair was satisfying to Harry in that moment.

Neville and Hermione were reminded in that instant that Harry was very much able to kill Ron in this lesson, but he couldn't. Harry was missing on purpose, just grazing Ron here and there with the spells, the only ones Harry allowed himself direct hits were ones that caused no permanent damage, still hurt like hell but it wouldn't be obvious what had happened to the Gryffindor like in the case of the darker Severing and Exploding charms.

Harry wasn't necessarily teaching Neville and Hermione the spells, so much as teaching them how they can be used in a real fight. If he had allowed half of his spells to actually hit Ron the red-head would already be on his way to a shallow grave. Yet Ron was still very much alive, and hadn't hit Harry with a single spell. He also hadn't used magic beyond third year level.

"You know Ron it isn't even about Light and Dark anymore, if you truly wanted to challenge the Dark and do something about it, you would use all the Light spells available to you. You are nothing but a lazy little wizard are you not? You preach about evils, but you know nothing about what you are spewing to the younger years. For all the harm you have been causing you have been selected to be my guinea pig. Tonight you are getting off easy. I have no intention of permanently harming you tonight, but if I were you I would avoid pissing me off again. The next meeting will not be so kind, there are many Dark curses I will be teaching that leave no visible marks if the counter is said soon enough. You may just live to see your fifteenth birthday if you start shaping up." Harry preached mockingly as the duel continued, not missing a beat when a spell was flung at him.

He almost felt a bit sorry for Ron that he still intended to Obliviate him after this was over. His little speech might have had some impact… although with the angry snarls coming off Ron that wasn't likely. He didn't want Ron knowing his memory was about to be wiped. No hints were going to be given to the other, it was self-preservation at its finest, if Harry gave Ron no reason to suspect the curse then there was an even smaller possibility it wouldn't work.

Neville noticed during the duel Harry had a small cruel smile on his face while casting his spells and making his speeches, he knew Harry was enjoying himself immensely. The Darkness surrounding the boy was palpable even through his shields as he dueled. It hit him just how much Harry had changed from the scared little first year to this confident charismatic teen.

Hermione couldn't help but be a little frightened. Severus hadn't scared her for she knew he was nothing compared to Voldemort, but to see her once best friends dueling with each other and Harry using curses that could easily kill the other, she was afraid. She saw the darkness staining his soul for the first time, and even though it did frighten her she couldn't stop the small thrill that ran up her spine. This was the kind of magic she would be learning, the sheer power in those spells drew witches and wizards to it, and Hermione was no exception.

The duel eventually had to end, and Ron was not expecting the final spell Harry screamed at him, "Obliviate!"

It hit him with deadly accuracy proving Harry really had been playing with him. When Ron's eyes were still glassy from the spell Harry whispered into his ear, "You were found in the halls by the upper years, and was beat up for your actions against the younger years. You will not go to Madame Pomfrey, and no professors or the Headmaster will find out about this." Harry implanted the memory, and proceeded to swing his fist around to connect with Ron's temple, dropping him like a sack of potatoes. It was justification for the attack Ron had made on him the previous year.

Turning to the other two left in the room he spoke to them, "Help me get him out into the halls, I don't want to leave him in the dungeons or everyone will think it was the Slytherins and they don't deserve that. I think we should leave him in the entrance hall. If you had even the slightest problem with the spells I cast and their results then you may want to rethink you involvement on my side of the war," Harry warned as they moved to help him.

"I already made my decision Harry, I knew what I was getting into," Neville answered almost instantly.

Hermione responded not far behind, "I want to learn this magic, I am on your side now Harry, I wont make the mistake of leaving it again."

"That was your last warning from here on out there is no going back." Harry confirmed.


	21. Why I Have To Scream

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Twenty-One**

**Why I Have To Scream**

(Breaking The Habit- Linkin Park)

Things fell into place easily from the first dueling club. The group of students seemed eager to learn and a few showed an amazing amount of talent at the art of Defense. The Dark magic practices were going just as well as Hermione and Neville learned what they needed to know. It would be a while before they caught up with Harry, but for now they were holding their own.

Harry's lessons with Severus continued to get steadily harder and by Easter he had been presented with his own Transportation band letting him get to Voldemort if he needed to vent his magic and Severus wasn't available. With all of the strain he was under with classes, teaching, and his own lessons he rarely had to use the band but he was glad he had the option.

After the spring holiday exams came upon them quickly, and while Harry was not afraid of the tests themselves anymore, he was afraid of what came afterwards. He still had to go back to the Dursleys a problem he had yet to find a solution to. He couldn't put Severus and Draco in danger by running to them, he would have to find a different way and he was rapidly running out of time.

He was not as you may believe afraid of what they could do to him, rather it was what he could do if they provoked him. His magic was getting harder to control as he got older, and with absolutely no magical outlets the possibility of him losing control and leveling the whole of Privet drive was rather likely.

In desperation he asked Hermione and Neville if he might be able to stay with one of them over the summer break, Dumbledore would be hard pressed to find a way to stop him from going to their homes.

"I'm really sorry Harry but my parents would let you visit, but not stay the whole time. They want to spend the time with me since they don't get to see me during the year." Hermione informed him regretfully after she had asked her parents.

"My Gran doesn't even know I talk to you, she would turn you in to Dumbledore in a heart beat if she caught us practicing Dark Arts, and she has enough detectors around her house to put Mad-Eye Moody to shame. She would probably know you have the Essence as soon as you walk in the house, I am a bit worried about myself actually and you have far more Darkness than I do." Neville admitted.

"I am sorry I might cause you trouble with your Gran, and Hermione tell your parents I understand. I made it through summers at the Dursleys before, and if I made it through last year I should be alright for this one." Harry shrugged off their apologies, still a bit worried but he didn't want them to know he was still worried.

On his last lesson with Severus before he end of the year. The older wizard noticed Harry's hands were shaking.

"Harry are you are sure you will be alright this summer? You know you can come with me." Severus offered one last time.

"You know we can't take that risk. So far Dumbledore doesn't have a clue about me, we need to keep it that way. It is for that reason that I won't go to Draco's, or any other Slytherins' for that matter. I have the band I can escape them if I have to, but I cannot avoid going there in the first place. If it comes down to me destroying the entire neighborhood or revealing the truth then I will use the band." Harry assured.

"I just don't want you going back there, I have seen what they do to you. They treat you worse than scum." Severus shook his head at the thoughts dancing through his head.

"I know, but this is the safest way, I am not strong enough to take on Dumbledore yet, we need to lay low just a little bit longer. I will be ready soon, and then we can tell the world the truth." Harry admitted.

"Is this what you really want? You can fight on the Dark Lord's side while still remaining in the shadows, are you sure you want to give that up?" Severus asked seriously.

"I want to do whatever allows me to contribute the most, and I believe that will be by making myself known. I am the wizarding worlds' golden boy, if I play my cards right I can steal Dumbledore's supporters right out from under him. They will not know they are supporting the Dark side until it is time to act and by then it will be too late to back out." Harry laid out the bare minimum he was allowed to reveal of the plan.

"That makes sense, just don't get yourself killed or in Azkaban before you can start this master plan of yours." Severus warned.

"I can handle it, and if I can't I just happen to have a Dark Lord I can call on whenever I need him. Who knows I might be able to talk some sense into my relatives this year, I am stronger than I was before." Harry reassured him.

"I still don't like it, I haven't put in this much effort training you to have it blow up in our faces." Severus groused.

"Oh just admit it, you care about me, if you didn't you wouldn't have offered to risk your own neck for my comfort." Harry teased cheekily.

"I will admit to no such thing Brat." Severus refused.

"One of these days I really will get you to admit that, just once and I will be happy." Harry prophesied happily dancing away from the blow directed at the back of his skull.

For a moment he forgot about what was to come, and for a heartbeat Severus almost came out and admitted what he wanted to hear. He didn't though, Harry was very amusing to watch when working his manipulations, and twice as fun when you were the object of his plans. Just how did he expect to get him to admit he cared about Harry.

That's right he had long since come to terms with the fact he had grown quite the soft spot where Harry was concerned, but that didn't mean he wanted Harry to know that. He was never supposed to find out. The only thing more humiliating would be if Voldemort found out about his little soft spot, the man would never let Severus live it down from all his protests earlier.


	22. Wounds Are Ways to Reveal Us

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

A/N There is not a single word of dialogue in this chapter. That is intentional. I felt like this particular chapter didn't need it.

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

**Wounds Are Ways to Reveal Us**

(Breakdown-Seether)**  
**

The door closing behind him after entering number 4 Privet Drive might as well have been the clang of a dungeon cell for all the welcome it gave him. He had once again left his trunk with Draco and his owl with Hermione, the only personal effect he brought into this hellhole with him was the transport arm band, concealed by his cousin's hand me downs.

The work started immediately after arriving, though having to make dinner was one of the more pleasant tasks the Dursleys could dish out. He liked to cook, he just wished he wasn't forced into it, and it would be nice to actually get to eat whatever he put all his hard work into making. He doubted any of the other children who just got back from school were forced to cook for the family, maybe help, but not do everything, and definitely not while there were people in the house who hadn't lifted a finger all day. Well that wasn't true Dudley had to lift his finger to punch the button on the remote but that was about it.

He used the repetitious motions of cooking to calm his nerves and relax him for the onslaught of chores and slaps that were in store for him. He knew from last year fighting back, at least openly fighting back, was not a good idea. He intended to keep his head down and just grin and bare the pain of this summer, he would be back at Hogwarts soon enough, and he already planned to take weekly trips to see Voldemort. They had set up a fifteen-minute period of time every night that Voldemort was supposed to stay completely alone, Harry was to arrive in this window of time. If he didn't show then Voldemort was free to do whatever he wanted with whomever because Harry wouldn't be coming that night.

Those weekly sessions became his lifeline, he occasionally even appeared more than once a week, but that was rare. Every time he would show up in Voldemort's study he would be thinner and have darker bruises. Voldemort knew Harry would not last much longer before he lost control. No wizard could take that harsh treatment and not retaliate, and Harry could conceivably explode like a bomb if pushed too hard, goodbye Privet Drive and everyone on it in other words.

It took one incident to send Harry over the edge. Vernon called him a freak and hit him over the head, making his ears ring. It was not even close to the worst thing the man had ever done, but it would be the last time he got his hands on Harry.

Harry caught Vernon's hand just as he lowered it for a second hit, in one motion he caught it and forced it backwards so fast, and hard the bones snapped causing the overgrown whale to yell with pain. Harry didn't stop there he started to punch and kick his uncle as hard as he could, and after all his training his magic leaped to action and helped him kick all the harder. Harry couldn't even summon up enough emotion to feel disgust for harming another like this, he was single-mindedly focused on destroying his uncle and from the screams of pain, he knew he was succeeding.

He didn't notice Dudley coming to try to pull him off Vernon, a single punch to his temple dropped him like a sack of potatoes. 'So much for the boxing champ,' Harry managed to think before continuing with Vernon, the one symbol of his misery and pain as a youth.

Vernon was now howling with pain as Harry landed kick after kick, no longer able to punch as Vernon had fallen to the floor. This was where many people would have shown mercy and stopped the beating but Harry just remembered all the time as a child when he was hit or kicked for nothing. Vernon never showed him mercy why should Harry be the better man? After all Harry had only been a child, he was just doing what he had been raised to do.

If you didn't like something, throw it away. If you hated something, you broke it and deposed of the pieces. If something was a freak, you beat it into submission. Harry was a quick learner and Vernon was dealing with the painful reality of the student surpassing the teacher.

He never noticed when his aunt came home, all the color drained from her face at the sight of her knocked out son, and her seemingly possessed nephew kicking the snot out of her husband. A hand over her heart and the other over her mouth to keep her lunch where it was supposed to be she fled to the phone.

Harry ignored Petunia all he cared about was extracting every last scream of pain Vernon had to give. He didn't think he was doing much permanent damage, Vernon was so fat no matter how hard he kicked the fat cushioned his ribs and organs, but Harry made sure Vernon would be hurting like hell for a very long time. Not an inch of his obese uncle was left un marked. Harry never thought about using magic or even a knife. He wanted skin to skin torture and he was doing a mighty fine job of it.

The one thing that pulled Harry from his frenzy was the flashing lights of the police pulling in to the driveway. He didn't stop hurting Vernon in fact he started kicking harder. He had a plan, and absolutely offal brilliant plan. As soon as the first police officer walked through the door and saw Harry standing triumphantly over the body of his fallen uncle and cousin Harry put his hand over the band and hissed the password.

That left the police with two victims and the perpetrator of the crime literally disappearing from the scene leaving nothing but broken bodies and haunting laughter.

Let Aunt Petunia explain that while still sounding perfectly 'normal.' Harry now knew what nirvana felt like.


	23. Down to the Bone

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

**Down to the Bone**

(Stripped-Shiny Toy Guns)**  
**

Lord Voldemort was holding court amongst his followers, rank after rank of fighters ready for his command. As the Light side grew less trusted the Dark side grew in strength, and once the boy was strong enough to take up his role the Dark ranks would fill even faster. He had not known this would be the outcome of allowing the boy to live those few years ago, but he couldn't help but think he made the right choice. Dumbledore would grow to regret the day he threw the Light's greatest weapon to the background like garbage.

While observing the melee being carried out to keep his rank's strength up Voldemort felt a shift in his wards and knew one of his bands was deployed. A quick check to see who was there showed Severus had already arrived, which meant Harry was coming, and if the boy was showing up at an unplanned time something had to have gone seriously wrong.

When Harry landed he kept his footing, and stood up tall, his face was full of rage, his hands balled into fists, knuckles bloodied from punching. His anger was only enhanced by the oversized rages that were slipping off his dueling toned body. He looked wild and dangerous, one look at those killing green eyes and Voldemort knew Harry's light side had finally snapped.

"What happened?" Voldemort asked the still fuming boy-who-lived the death eaters still too shocked to say a word, or cast a spell.

_"I hate them, I want them to burn, to scream, to cry, to break, and I want them to die,"_ Harry hissed in his anger.

_"Finally, I have been waiting for this, you now understand more at this moment than you would after a lifetime of lectures. You had to see the truth for yourself."_ Voldemort hissed back calmly not wanting their discussion overheard.

_"What truth is that? That my relatives hate me I have known that."_ Harry spat still too angry to remember he was yelling at a Dark Lord.

_"No, that is not what you needed to know. The truth is even as noble as you are, you still have the will to take a life. You know now it is naïve to think this war will be fought without casualties, and if you think the Light side is not going to kill you have more to learn than I thought. You want to kill them don't you? You want to do it with your fist and your wand, but in the end you want them dead."_ Voldemort explained, to the still boiling mad young man.

_"I wanted him dead beneath my hands, oh I had the will to kill at that moment, but I didn't do it. I know where I needed to kick him or punch him to kill and I didn't do it."_ Harry was truly frustrated with his failure which shows just how much he wanted his uncle dead.

_"I can show you how to kill, but the will to do it has to come from you."_ Voldemort answered.

_"I know that,"_ Harry snapped, _"I want you to show me death, I want you to teach me how to take a life. I know how to cause pain, I know how to find secrets, teach me the art of death it is the one thing Severus will not." _

_"Why can't Severus teach you this?"_ Wondering if he was losing one his most faithful to the other side.

_"I doubt he will admit it, but he cares too much about me to show me the darkest side of his nature. In his own way he is protecting me. He is still completely on the side of the Dark if that is what you are wondering."_ Harry explained, most of his murderous rage beginning to drain away.

_"If I do this, are you willing to accept your role?"_ Voldemort demanded.

_"What role?"_ Harry asked wanting to know everything before agreeing to anything.

_"We had this conversation before, you will be my equal. I have no need for an heir just yet, but the ranks are filling quickly, two leaders is more efficient than one."_ Voldemort explained.

_"Am I really that powerful? Is that the only reason you want me by your side?"_ Harry hissed softly.

Voldemort was unsure how to respond, of course the boy was powerful, but just the sound of the boy's voice as it caressed the language of snakes was enough to give him goose bumps, could he honestly say the boy's power was the only reason to keep him close? His new body was only four years older than Harry, and it would age the same rate as a normal wizard. Could he really deny that Harry was attractive enough to draw attention even at fourteen, well almost fifteen now? Only one more year and Harry would be drowned in suitors from both sides, should he get his bid in early?

_"Well are you going to answer?"_ Harry hissed impatiently.

_"No your power is not the only reason, the other is far more selfish."_ That was as much as Voldemort was willing to say.

_"I don't like this, Dumbledore kept secrets from me and look where it got him, are you sure you want to play that game?"_ Harry asked irritably.

_"This is a personal secret not a political one, it only concerns me and you, no others are involved, and you will learn what it is soon enough, but in a room full of people unsure of your allegiance is not the best place to have this conversation."_ Voldemort thought he explained himself well.

_"Fine, I will take my place, as long as you teach me how to kill, and for the record I am still not completely comfortable with your secret."_ Harry agreed.

_"It's a promise, and to repeat myself, you will find out this secret soon enough, I doubt it can remain hidden for long."_ Voldemort assured. _"I am going to introduce you to my followers officially, what do you want to be called?"_

_"Call me Mirage, I do not care to be called a Lord, and they will know my real name anyway, this is just something for them to speak about without someone overhearing the truth."_ Harry decided.

_"Why that name?"_ Voldemort asked curiously.

_"Because I know all of your die hard followers will believe they are dreaming when they see who I am, I will simply become a figment of their imaginations, just like a mirage." _Harry explained.

_"Very well,"_ Voldemort replied before turning to his forced to introduce Mirage to them, both powerful wizards waiting for the fireworks to start.


	24. I've Done the Best I Can

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

**I've Done the Best I Can**

(Second Chance-Seether)**  
**

"My loyal followers, you are aware the recent cleansing of our ranks was in preparation for a new arrival. He has come to us tonight, a little ahead of schedule, but still welcome. You will give him the same loyalty you do to me, I give you my new partner, Mirage." Voldemort introduced to the Dark soldiers, and as he said Harry's new name, he turned around to let the others see him.

No sound greeted the powerful pair as they tried to take in Mirage's identity. The Death Eaters were not quite sure what to think anymore, too many shocks were not good for the system, and this definitely counted as a shock. "My lord is he who I think he is?" Harry was pretty sure that was Lucius asking, after all not many had the confidence to question Lord Voldemort and believe they would get away with it.

"His former identity is not important. Tonight he is reborn as one of our own, forget what you once thought about him." Voldemort corrected harshly, fingers straying towards his wand. With as many powerful wizards beneath him as he had, Voldemort had to employ a lot of power and pain to keep everyone in line under his banner, hopefully Harry's presence would take some of that pressure off him.

"Why is he beside you, he is just a boy!" One of the stupider death eaters spoke up without thinking.

Without speaking Harry caught Voldemort's eyes and nodded slightly indicating he would take care of it. Without warning he dropped every shield he had on his magic letting his Dark side wrap him in a comforting shroud, the ease with which he carried the magic gave the one who spoke goosebumps as he looked on. "I was hoping someone would be stupid enough to question my presence, too bad you asked the wrong person. If any of you have a problem with me take it up with me and not him." Harry growled out slowly advancing on his newest target.

_"How far are you going to take this?" _Voldemort hissed to him as he walked.

_"Just enough to scare him, we need all the soldiers we can get." _Harry assured, the snake language spilling from his lips only adding to the imposing picture his magic was drawing.

The Death Eater, not wanting to stand down to the perceived child in front of him, drew himself up and spoke again. "I do not fear you."

Within two seconds of uttering those words he was bleeding from cutting curses, bruised from bashing hexes, and stunned. Harry turned to the watching wizards, the minor magics not even enough to excite his blood. "You do not have to fear me, but you will respect my power, if fear is the only way for you to have that respect I will not hesitate to use it. He should have fought back, not stood there in shock, you are soldiers of the Dark be worthy of the title. If any of you wish to challenge me, make it worth my time." Harry thought they may have been a bit over-confidant, but if he played his cards right no one would call him on the bluff before he was strong enough to back up his words.

The first person to kneel, did so with a grace Harry only associated with Severus, the rest of the ranks soon following the Potions Master's example. Harry took up his place next to Voldemort once more, and the Essence surrounding the two of them met and consumed each other, growing and pulsing with delight at finding another strong enough to interest it. The magic Harry felt pouring from them was alive and strong. He never wanted the feeling of his magic and Voldemort's together to end. It felt so right it had to be wrong, but Harry didn't care anymore. This was where he belonged.

_"You did well my Venomous Lion,"_ Voldemort complimented.

_"I was taught by the best," _Harry brushed off, still not good at accepting praise.

Voldemort just looked at Harry directly before replying. _"What you just did cannot be learned. You held their attention, and captured their loyalty in a span of about five minutes. You are the new inspiration my fighters need to keep going. Inspire them with your words like that again, and they will follow you into the depths of Hell. As would I." _

_"You would follow me? Why would you do that?"_ Harry questioned as his body began to heat up once more.

Voldemort hesitated before he answered, still fully aware of the watching wizards. _"Only you, I will follow only you, and not so much follow as walk by your side."_

_"I still don't believe that is the full answer, I will trust you know what you are doing, but if whatever you are hiding gets anyone hurt because of hiding it, I will use all of my power to take you down." _Harry warned as the only wizard alive who could threaten him and live to tell about it.

_"I'm sorry Harry but we need to finish up this meeting, I will tell you when it is safe to do so." _Voldemort assured. "Is their anyone here with a report to give that cannot wait for another day, Mirage and I need to work a few things out between ourselves."

"I am sorry my Lord, but I don't think mine can be put off." Lucius spoke up once more, but no one else did.

"Very well, the rest of you are dismissed for the night, Lucius follow us." Voldemort ordered as he manipulated the wards to allow them to dissaparate.

Harry followed the two elder wizards quietly taking in the feel of Lucius' magic, now he understood why Draco's Essence had grown so large at a young age. Lucius was seeped in the essence, not quite as strong as Voldemort's or his own, but close. If Draco had grown up around that, and trained by Lucius as well his Essence would grow quickly, the same way Harry's had once he started training. Severus and Lucius seemed to be very closely matched power wise. Harry wondered how he would fare in a match against Lucius.

Once they finally reached the Dark Lord's study Voldemort turned to Lucius, "What is it that was so important it couldn't wait?"

"Fudge needs replaced and soon, I understand you are trying to get Mirage settled in first, but right now our control on fudge is slipping. He is nothing but a puppet anymore to whoever happens to have his ear that day. We need someone truly loyal to our cause as Minister if we have a chance at succeeding with minimal bloodshed." Lucius replied getting straight to the point.

"This is actually the perfect time for something like that. What better to cement Mirage's place in our ranks then to take on the minister in his first raid? Your orders are to prepare the others at the ministry for the removal of Fudge and wait for my signal. We will strike hard and fast, none of his Aurors will even know what hit them until too late." Voldemort decided.

"As you wish my lord I will get started on your orders right away." Lucius agreed before bowing and letting himself out of the study, Voldemort already clearing his way through the wards.

_"So Mirage what do you think, are you ready to join this fight for real?"_ He hissed quietly.

_"Just try and stop me, I am ready for some real fighting." _Harry replied, _"but besides that I seem to remember you saying to would explain a few things at a better time, well this qualifies as a better time. Are you going to tell me your secret or not?"_


	25. Your Voice Was All I Heard

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

**Your Voice Was All I Heard**

(New Divide-Linkin Park)**  
**

_"Well are you going to answer?"_ Harry demanded after a long silence had passed between them.

"Do you have any idea what you do to me my Venomous Lion?" Voldemort replied quietly slipping back into English to try and regain some coherency from the intoxicating sound of the snake tongue.

"Just what do I do to you?" Harry snapped back like a viper, joining Voldemort in dropping the hissing for now.

"Your voice, your presence, your power, do you have any idea what that does to me when you are around?" Voldemort repeated himself, deciding his soul was already damned if not gone completely, he should at least have the strength to come clean to Harry. Secrets were dangerous in a war, and Harry knew that more than most did, for good reason.

"The same yours did to me when I was twelve?" Harry answered back. _"You overwhelmed me, consumed me, froze me, and scared me, and I spent years trying to find that feeling again." _

_"You thrill me, push me, entice me, and I was a fool to not see it before now." _Voldemort hissed in reply.

_"I am a child no longer, I will not be a pawn in your games of war, no trophy for you to Lord over the rest. I am no object to be bought, won, or sold. You claim to care, to covet, to watch, until love is added to that list I belong to no one. You want my heart, my hand, and my power you had best earn it or they will mean nothing in the long run."_ Harry refused to fall into the same trap he had with Draco. He was still changing, still growing, still learning, when the time came for him to truly come into his power he may just end up stronger than Voldemort. Could the Dark Lord handle a lover that was more powerful than himself?

_"Everything worth having, is worth earning. I will one day prove my intentions to you, until than you are free to be whoever you chose to be. I know better than to cage a lion, especially if that lion has fangs like yours." _Voldemort readily accepted Harry's warning. The challenge of taming Harry was something he was more than willing to attempt. Though if he let himself think about it, a tame Harry was not what he was after. He wanted that fire, and that bramble to invoke the frenzy of heat and shivers in his body and magic. If that meant Harry had to be free to come to him, or go to another at times, than so be it. Merlin knows he rarely had a single partner in his life.

"A have already been inside a gilded cage, if I thought for one moment that was what you were trying to do to me I would truly disappear, I may not know enough to beat you just yet, but I know enough to fade into the shadows and never be found if I truly chose that path." Harry warned desperately, even as his body betrayed his desires for the man standing in front of him.

"You would truly just fade away? Not return to the Light?" Voldemort had to admit he was curious about that despite the arousing nature of the conversation.

"You and I both know my magic and soul are too seeped in darkness for me to ever truly be accepted by the Light. I would be hounded and possibly hunted for the rest of my life even if I managed to end the war the way they want me too. I won't go back to that, not now that I know there is another way to live. Merlin himself in his various incarnations had to take time to just learn and rest on his own without distraction or witch hunts." Harry replied honestly.

"I won't let it come to that, you will be treated like you deserve to be on our side. Your power alone demands respect, but you have the gift of persuasion, I was not exaggerating when I said those wizards out there would follow you into Hell with just the right words spilling from your lips. You have the power of a born leader, with us working together we will take down any who stand in our way. The Light side will fall, and for once the Dark shall rise." Voldemort entreated, he wanted Harry both as a partner and as a lover, he wanted him with every fiber of his being, his body throbbed with the need to touch him again.

"I accepted my place at your side earlier tonight, nothing has changed my mind." Harry informed as if that was in any question. His skin was burning from arousal, waiting to be caressed, his lips tingled where they had been kissed before. The self same tingle he had felt in the chamber at twelve years of age. He could no more walk away from Voldemort right now than he could if his feet were cemented to the floor. He wanted Voldemort just the same as the older wizard wanted him. That was never in question, Harry just wanted the ground rules laid out bare and honest before they went any further, he was done with being controlled, it was time he took the reins in his own life. Voldemort would just have to adapt to someone else controlling the relationship.

_"Do you want me?" _Harry hissed, deciding they had enough serious talk for the night, and he didn't think his body could last much longer if it wasn't touched.

_"Yes," _Voldemort answered striding towards the enticing Gryffindor.

Harry met Voldemort's advance step for step. Meeting in the middle hungry mouths clashed and wondering hands roamed sculpted muscles as they fought and battled for more contact, a bit of control there, a slight step backwards. They were equals for now. Roaming and exploring and touching. Melting together without the excuse of music as they had in the past. Just the all consuming fire alighting their bones. Only parting slightly when the physical need for oxygen surpassed the overwhelming urge for contact.

After some time of not speaking or parting, Harry finally got the strength to move enough to force words out. _"No more tonight, too much too fast is not good. Wait for the right time, it will make it all the sweeter." _

_"I will wait an eternity for you my lion, come with me I will show you to your room, and I will leave you to sleep for awhile. When you wake up we will begin the planning for the raid on the ministry." _Voldemort agreed to Harry's request of patience without complaint, mainly because he could feel the evidence of Harry's want for him, he knew the younger male really did just want to wait for the right time. Whenever that would happen. Even Voldemort had to admit rutting on the floor of his office like animals did not sound right for their first time together.

With one last searing kiss, Voldemort led Harry out of the office, and into the cobweb of corridors that made up his ancestral home. When the time was right the rewards would be worth the wait.


	26. Burn Out The Night

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Twenty Six**

**Burn Out the Night**

(Burnin' For You- Blue Oyster Cult)**  
**

Mirage's pulse was steady and his hands were dry as the first portion of the evening commenced, His wand was held with a firm but confidant grip and he lead his own group of death eaters through the ministry. Voldemort would meet them from the other side of the atrium as they cleared guards as they swept threw. He signaled to his group to follow him closely, he could feel the edges of the Dark lord's essence washing over him already, and he wondered if that was mutual.

"Mirage, take the door to your left, it will lead to the stairwell, go as high as you can go and head down to the farthest door on the hall, that is Fudge's office. He should still be there right now under a compulsion spell I cast on him earlier." Lucius whispered into the young leader's ear as they came in sight of the proper door, "We will follow and keep any remaining guards off your back, the Dark Lord will follow you from the other stairwell as we planned."

Lucius had only been informed up to the point where Mirage and Voldemort made it into the Minister's office whatever happened between the three of them after the door closed was only for the lords to know.

Harry easily followed the directions Lucius had provided and willfully ignored the sound of whispered spells and falling bodies as yet more patrolling guards were taken care of by the men under his command, he could sense Voldemort drawing nearer as he exited the top of the stair well and found a long hallway with doors leading off of it on both sides. A single door at the end of the hall caught his attention and he knew it was the right one to find the cowardly minister in.

He reached the door just as his partner-in-crime exited a door to the left of the minister's office. Lord Voldemort had his own contingent of Death Eaters following him, though he had a few less than Harry's entourage which was just as much for the younger one's protection as a way to prove Harry could and would fight, and with Mirage taking down half the guards himself he had readily proved that much to the men under his command.

This part was between Voldemort and himself. "Alright Mirage,I know even with all you have said and learned this will not be easy for you. I am making your first kill as simple as I can by giving you a target you already know needs removed and taking his life will be no great loss to humanity. Take your wand, aim it true, and cast the spell. For the first kill go for something quick and highly lethal, you can make it easier on yourself he first time by making a clean efficient kill, there will be time later to teach you the art of painful death." Voldemort coached as he nudged the door open quietly, Lucius' compulsion spells were of high quality but even the imperious curse could be fought if the victim had reason to, and two dark wizards entering your office was a pretty good reason.

_"I will be alright," _Harry assured with unexpected confidence, well for Voldemort it was unexpected, he hadn't realized just how thoroughly Harry's innocence had been shattered. Harry was more than ready to live up to his placement in the Dark Lord's ranks and it was time he proved that to himself and Voldemort alike.

_"I'm sure you will be my venomous lion," _Voldemort responded his quiet hissing drawing the attention of the lethargic Minister, who just blinked a bit owlishly at them and went back to contemplating the empty expanse of his cherry wood desk, though the overflowing inbox suggested he should be attending to other matters.

"Remind me to ask Lucius to teach me that spell." Harry ordered in English, not afraid in the slightest about ordering around the most feared wizard in Britain. He knew what Voldemort wanted from him was about as far away from death as it was possible to get.

"If you succeed tonight I will do whatever you ask," Voldemort agreed, "Just remember don't use the unforgiveables here, they will be able to track your magical signature if you do and we both agreed it is just too soon for you to be outed to the general public."

"Remember your promise," Was all Harry replied as he turned his still steady wand on the minister. He paused to think of just the right spell to kill the minister with. He knew Voldemort was right as much as he had fallen it would still be easier if he picked a slightly less messy mode of death for his first kill. He didn't need to see blood to know a job well done. "Arrestus Cardia," The sickly brown spell hit the now mumbling minister square in the chest and at first there was no immediate effect. Then a shaky hand was put on his left shoulder rubbing vigorously as if Fudge was trying to alleviate a severe muscle cramp. Then his hand moved further up the arm towards his collar bone, descending lower and lower until the minister was groaning with pain and panting from the effort his body was putting forth fighting the insidious curse. Finally the hand started pressing on his chest right above his struggling heart, and with a choked scream the man collapsed forward on his desk, his mortal body loosing the fight with the dark magic of the curse that slowly stopped the heart.

Harry knew if either man was so inclined they could call in a team from St. Mungos that could revive the minister in the next three minutes as his body used up the remaining oxygenated blood, but as neither wizard had any such desires the minister was left to die in a puddle of his own spit. The beauty of Harry's choice coming from the fact unless someone was specifically looking for the spell Harry had used it would look just like a heart attack, and even if someone was smart enough to look for the spell it did not leave traces of the castor's signature like the unforgivables did.

Voldemort took in Harry's calm almost serene expression and he knew without a single doubt he had chosen correctly, both when saving a twelve year old boy's life and with giving his own heart away to the man that boy had become. Harry really was his perfect match and when Harry turned to look at him, triumph lighting a fire in the green orbs Voldemort couldn't stop himself from stealing another soul searing kiss from the boy's unresisting mouth.

Well from Harry's perspective resistance was the last thing on his mind at that moment, he took it upon himself to wrest control of the kiss from Voldemort, he was much to hopped up on adrenaline right than to willingly submit to anyone Dark Lord or not. That fire and stubbornness just made Voldemort want him all the more, all kinds of interesting possibilities flashed through his mind about what to do with his willing partner.

Only to have all plans brought to a screeching halt by the familiar smooth knocking that Voldemort immediately recognized. "Lucius if I were you I would make yourself scarce before we open this door." The Dark Lord warned before hearing light footsteps half running towards the nearest staircase, and the very mild chuckling of the other death eaters. Harry just sighed turned to the disappointed Dark Lord, kissed him one last time and exited the office, ready to face the awaiting Death Eaters.

XXXXXXX

Mirage's first mission was toasted with a few too many bottles of fire whiskey that was passed around among the more trusted of the Death Eaters. It was not a good idea to get drunk with your rival who was always looking for an easy way to clime the political ladder.

Harry carefully monitored his intake of the potent whiskey, never having allowed himself the pleasure before he knew better than to try to out drink the more experienced death eaters around him. A few hours after midnight found them corralled in the meeting room of the manor, Mirage had sprawled out sideways in Voldemort's throne like chair, a crystal glass of the deep amber colored beverage swirling gently in his hand to catch the candlelight throwing back the shards of red, gold, and orange that gave the liquor half its name. The occasional burning sip proved the spirit was aptly named indeed. The preoccupied Mirage was unaware that a whispered conversation was being held between three wizards concerning him at the other side of the hall.

"Is he going to be alright?" Severus asked trying to keep his voice casual but apparently not succeeding very well.

Voldemort turned his gaze sharply to Severus before placing them back on the contemplative wizard. As far as he could tell Harry was just thinking, he didn't see any doubt or regret in Harry's eyes even now hours after the event where time and the application of alcohol should have burned away the adrenaline that might have been masking any discomfort. "I think he will be fine, I still remember my first kill and I would be shocked if either of you had forgotten yours. We all got through it and so will Harry. He is strong, and more importantly he actually chose this path. It might seem like a little thing when you take into account he really did kill another person tonight, but to Harry it makes all the difference. No one forced him to do it, it makes it that much easier to accept, if he was going to fly apart from this he would have already done it by now, or would have tried to drown himself in the first bottle of firewhiskey he was offered. He didn't, and he knows it was an option, so if that doesn't answer your question I don't know what would, unless you actually went over there and asked him yourself."

Severus sighed before replying, "I think I just might go talk with him," He excused himself and left Voldemort with Lucius. Though the Dark Lord was positive he heard Severus mumble something about the brat getting his wish.

"My Lord, I know he wants to be here, but what made you give the offer in the first place? You didn't let any others stay with you in the manor full time until they were out of Hogwarts and that was only for a week or two here and there. What makes him different?" Lucius knew the only reason he was still alive and conscious after that was because he had asked out of curiosity not derision.

"Are you questioning my sanity again Lucius?" Voldemort asked allowing a slight hint of a hiss to caress his words, this time intending to scare the hell out of the listener.

It was working wonderfully. "No, My Lord, I won't ever question your sanity, I just want to know your reasons for it." Lucius was proud of the fact he hadn't stuttered, and Voldemort had to suppress a smirk at just how ruffled the Malfoy Lord had gotten over a few hissed syllables that if it had been Harry listening would have possibly led into more interesting exploits.

"Lucius, he will be our best ally in this war, with no competition for the claim what so ever. He is strong and powerful, not to mention has more public acclaim than even you do. If Harry well and truly wanted to get something done in this world he could do it one way or another, and thankfully he is willing to work with us. Just don't ever make the mistake of telling him he is working for us, I won't be responsible for any damage to your person caused by him and if you make him carry out his threat to disappear so help me I will make Azkaban look like a destination resort." Voldemort warned, once again adding in the hiss.

"And the fact you love him doesn't factor in at all?" Lucius was brave enough to call him on it, but not so brave as to look him in the eye while doing so. He was willing to take a certain amount of risk but had also been born with a healthy dose of self-preservation instincts.

"Lucius, if I wanted your opinion on such matters I will ask it of you, and did you ever think that I love him for the same reasons he is our greatest ally? I didn't think it had to be said if it was just a restatement of facts." Voldemort replied civilly and Lucius was left wondering what was scarier the fact the Dark Lord was actually in love, or that he was openly admitting it. Even if Lucius was a trusted inner circle member, love had never been a topic of discussion even if Lucius was one of the few wizards selected to share his bed in the past.


	27. Tell It To My Heart

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

**Tell It To My Heart**

(Taylor Dane) **  
**

Severus approached his protege with caution, the way Voldemort's chair made the young man appear much smaller than he actually was gave off a deceptive aura of frailty, while his less- than-dignified sprawl across the seat gave an impression of youth. In other words everything he appeared to be was in opposition of what he actually was, and Severus was having trouble separating the truth from lie. "Mirage," He began remembering even he had to use Harry's alternate name in front of other Death Eaters. "Are you going to be alright?"

The glass stopped swirling in his hands as he looked up to see the concerned eyes of his mentor. "Yes Severus, I will be, you don't have to worry. I knew from the beginning I would have to kill, I have accepted it and I am ready to move on to more advanced methods. I am not the same scared thirteen year old boy you were saddled with, you raised me just right." Harry assured.

"Mirage, I didn't raise you to kill, I raised you to live. I... care about you brat, and you know it." Severus finally admitted only to find his arms full of a very excited Harry.

Luckily the new partner to the Dark Lord realized what he was doing and released the startled man before anyone had really noticed the exchange, Harry sent up a small prayer to the gold of firewhiskey for that, he settled back in the chair, the right way this time. Severus marveled at how easily Harry filled the seat, it was like the dark lord himself had sat down.

"You fit well by his side," Severus observed,

"I do, don't I?" Harry agreed, glad for the camouflage of his Gryffindor like display of affection.

"You are good for each other, surprisingly good, keep bringing him out of the shadows and let him show you the path to the dark. Meet somewhere in the middle and you two will be unstoppable." Severus advised.

"You know I was going to do that anyway but that is good advice. I don't know how much good I can do for him, but he is certainly helping me," Harry replied as one hand become occupied with the holly wand that had ended the minister's life, the other knocked back the rest of the whiskey in the glass that had miraculously managed to remain after Harry had impulsively hugged Severus.

"You have already done a lot for him, and I am sure you will continue to do more, now Lucius is running out of here like a rabbit chased by a fox which probably means the Dark Lord scared the hell out of him, I better check on him." Severus excused himself rapidly and went after the blond wizard. Leaving Harry wanting to grin like a loon but had the composure to just flash a short dazzling smile before bringing his features back to their normal emotionless facade.

Voldemort saw the smile and prowled over towards his partner. "Care to share?" He asked and Harry entertained the brief thought of reminding him the dark lord had just rhymed.

He withheld the urge and instead just answered the question. "_I wonder how long it will take Severus to persuade Lucius that he needs comforted,_" Harry hissed out thinking to keep the other mans trust by not saying it in English for any bored death eater to hear.

_"I bet it takes him the same amount of time it does for them to reach an unoccupied room." _The Dark Lord answered with that annoying knowing tone that let everyone know you knew something they didn't.

"_Alright, just how long have they been seeing each other?_" Harry asked cautiously not sure if he wanted the answer.

"_It wasn't long before my first fall, a few months after Draco was born. They were never exclusively with each other, but given the chance they would gladly 'comfort' each other."_ Voldemort's amused hissing went straight to Harry's groin, making his breath hitch at the sudden urgency, something that did not go unnoticed.

"_Did my venomous lion enjoy that_?" He teased sandwiching Harry between himself and the high chair back, a position that Harry wasn't objecting to for the moment, though Voldemort could see the fire lighting up emerald orbs. The Dark Lord didn't understand what that extra light meant until a knee was neatly tucked against his own growing problem, placing the right amount of pressure in the right places.

_"Do you?"_ Harry asked feeling the answering hardness as he rose to plunder the willing mouth above his, something he would have to fix at his earliest opportunity, he did not like the feeling of being below any one, even if it was Voldemort.

Voldemort couldn't even hiss back a response he just closed his eyes and worked on holding back his moan, completely aware of the now watching death eaters.

_"Are you keyed into the apparation wards?" _Harry asked with a half strained hiss.

_"Of course,"_

_"Then what are you waiting for!" _Even if you didn't speak parseltongue you could hear the impatience to his voice at that one.

In the next moment the chair was unoccupied and the death eaters felt their marks warm in a very demonstrative dismissal, most rushed from the room without a word but a few grumbling about missing the show.

XXXXXXX

Voldemort was surprised when the moment they landed in his quarters after the apparation he felt himself pressed against the wall with Harry covering his body with his own. Voldemort felt relief at the relinquishing of control and let Harry practice the art of seduction on him. Lips met his, warm, moist, and solid, a kiss no woman could ever give. He felt the work roughened hands, still not recovered from their abuse at the Dursleys, run down the skin of his neck, reaching for the first button on his cloak. Harry kept his fiery emerald eyes locked on his crimson as the first black button was released, Harry's finger tips slid to the next one this time a little faster as he realized there was another layer of robes between his skin and his soon to be lover's.

Voldemort growled, wanting to raise his wand and finish the job quicker, but Harry stopped the spell with a kiss. _"Now don't be hasty, this is the good part, don't think just feel."_

_"I want you now!"_ This was no gentle plead, this was a full force order from a man most wizards fear.

_"Trust me,"_ Harry drew out the hiss knowing what it did to Voldemort, not for the first time reveling just how good it felt to converse in the language that had saved his life all those years ago.

Voldemort just threw his head back and allowed Harry to continue his pleasurable torture. The buttons took the longest time to his mind, he could feel the heat and pressure of Harry's touch but had no skin contact. Harry's eyes never left his and his mouth only strayed for air, but those hands were everywhere but on his skin and it was driving his youthful body insane. He couldn't stop the pleased growl he let out as the heavy cloak finally fell to the floor, and hands found the neck of his robe, from there on out he lost all coherent thought, and didn't even realize a world existed beyond Harry's touch.

Harry was enjoying the responsive body beneath his lips and hands, he knew exactly what he was doing to the older wizard and that was the reason he stopped any efforts to go faster. He wanted this first night to be slow and pleasurable despite the fact the only virgin in the room was himself. He was taking all cues from his own body and Voldemort's responses. When his hands finally found the neck of the robes he took his time revealing the skin beneath the layer of black, being careful to not actually touch the other wizard, but he knew he was close enough to let Voldemort feel the heat through the cloth. Inch after pale inch of unmarred skin was revealed to him, but still he held himself back. This was not only torture for his straining partner, he felt an answering need deep in his own body, but he was running off instinct and knew this was the right way to go.

Finally the last bit of black cloth fell away from the well formed body in front of him, his want very evidently apparent, Harry was now fighting with himself to keep from claiming him too soon. He just took that last step forward and pressed his clothed body against the shuddering naked flesh beneath his touch. Voldemort let out a feral yell of both pleasure and frustration as he was finally touched, but not with the warm skin he had been wanting. His surprise was doubled as he was bodily picked up and carried over to the bed, he was placed with care and Harry's body was covering his once more.

Harry allowed the hands of his partner to come up around his neck to pull him down for a kiss, and as they explored each others' mouths those hands crept down to his own buttons. He could tell the anxious wizard under him was attempting to hold himself back from just ripping the fabric off, but it didn't even take a quarter of the time to strip Harry of his own clothes, giving them their first full body skin on skin contact. Harry kept up the slow pace by leisurely kissing and sucking his way down the 19 year old's neck, stopping to nibble and suck to make a faint purple mark over the sensitive juncture of his collar bone, the mark would develop with more time, as Harry added more alongside it, finding out the side of Voldemort's neck was ticklish when he brushed his pink tongue against the flesh. Harry continued to lick, kiss, and nibble the exposed chest never going lower than the collar bone for now, enjoying the feel of the reflexive grip of the arms and legs locked around his body.

As Harry bit down on the ticklish spot Voldemort's grip increased and his nails raked down Harry's back. _"No, this night is about pleasure not pain, we will have time to experiment in the future." _Harry hissed as he felt the nails stop their scratching and the secure grip was back again. Harry rewarded his partner by inching lower down his chest, the firm muscles from hours of dueling practice yielding under his touch, tensing when he nibbled, and shivering when he kiss. He felt the sensations running through the body of the Dark Lord and knew his own body was reacting much the same way to the obvious enjoyment of his attentions.

He knew Voldemort was a true submissive, a person so uniquely suited to being dominated they accepted all the pleasure the dominate would give and more, and would respond in ways that returned the favor ten fold. It was a bit odd that such a powerful man was a submissive, but it really wasn't surprising this was one aspect of his life he didn't have to be in control over life and death. Harry and Voldemort were true equals it would make sense that one was a submissive and Harry, well...

Harry was one hell of a dominant if the sweat pouring down their bodies and the responses from Voldemort were any indication.

Harry was now down to the Dark Lord's navel in his ministrations, and Voldemort couldn't keep quiet anymore as Harry neared the most sensitive part of his body. His steady moans and the occasional mumbled hiss left Harry feeling more aroused than ever and he knew it was time. He slowly rose up off the bed, Voldemort following the movement like he hoped. He kept eye contact as he shifted their bodies around so they would be facing each other the whole time, and they wouldn't have to hurt themselves to do it.

He touched his finger tips to Voldemort's lips and the Dark Lord knew what to do as he slowly wet them down, finally understanding what it was like to make love, and he couldn't deny that is what they were doing. Harry slid his hand downwards and slowly prepared the Dark Lord, never breaking their eyes away from each other.

When their lips met this time, something else met too and Voldemort cried out in surprised pleasure as the bundle of nerves based around his spine was grazed. His cry was soon smothered in another searing kiss as the feeling of fullness receded than came back all the deeper. Harry grew in confidence as they went on, going smooth, slow, and easy rather than the crazed rutting he heard from other dormitory beds back in Hogwarts. He enjoyed every moan he pulled out of the normally stoic lips and felt the intense pressure building up inside himself, but holding himself back until they were both ready and with one final, ever so filling, thrust they both rode the waves of climax together and fell into each other with another searing kiss letting the feelings overwhelm their minds for as long as they would grip.

Voldemort had absolutely no reply to Harry's next hissing words, _"Thank you for accepting my virginity."_


	28. I Am The One That You Need

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

**I Am The One That You Need**

(Dirty Diana- Micheal Jackson)**  
**

The next morning those still at the manor were aware there had been a large shift in the dynamic of the partnership of their two lords. The way the two sat touching at least one part of their bodies together constantly, and the occasionally whispered hiss were enough to let Severus and Lucius know they were being allowed to witness a very private moment between the two dark wizards. The fact the two of them were trusted enough to witness such a display was comforting to the older men as it secured their safety amid the ranks.

"Severus, Lucius, today you two are to return to your posts. Lucius make sure your prepared candidate is ready to take on his role, use the confusion the ministry should be in to cover your steps, we can't afford to make a mistake now right when we are so close to the goal. Severus I want you back at Hogwarts keeping tabs on Dumbledore and his order, you can tell him it was are side who has taken care of the ministry, give them a false name for our candidate, and do not tell them Harry and I were the ones to actually kill the minister. I don't want the man to realize our main ploy is not about his precious school but the ministry itself. I wouldn't attack Hogwarts it is my home, but I will attack him, and I will make the changes I want through the ministry." Voldemort ordered once the simple domesticity of the morning had passed and it was time to get down to business.

"Yes my lord," They both replied as they rose from the table, ready to carry out their orders.

"As for you Harry, we need to get started on your training. You did very well with the minister, but that was one on one, and not even closely matched at that, you still need to learn how to fight on a battle ground and not hesitate when you have to start killing multiple people. You will end up killing people that you have never met before, I can guarantee that, and if even a small part of you regrets killing the minster than you will have some difficulty with that part." Voldemort warned, sticking to English so they might actually get some work done today.

"I do not regret killing the minister, but I can see where I would have problems with killing complete strangers. How exactly do you plan on teaching me to not care?" Harry asked unsure how that would work, Voldemort taught differently than Severus did.

"Well for starters quit it with that attitude, the thing about killing is you have to care, caring about your victims is what makes the difference between a soldier and a murderer. Remember, we are killing for a reason, to make our world stronger. We will be called cruel and barbaric, but it was the same with any revolution in history. I don't want you to lose your principles, I just want you to alter them to allow you to take a life, and understand it was necessary even if you didn't know them personally." Voldemort chastised immediately, Harry's line of thought could be dangerous for them. The only difference in himself between sanity and madness was the ability to care, it was very important that Harry understand the concept before they went any further.

"I never thought you would be the one teaching me about caring in the same lesson as killing, but I understand. Dumbledore didn't care and he nearly broke me, you did care and saved me, if it weren't for caring I would probably either hate you right now, or be already dead." Harry agreed, giving his lover a quick peck on the lips to reassure the dark lord he was content with the choices that had been made.

"I thought you would understand, but I had to be sure. It is important, if you don't understand this than what I teach you later will not make sense. When you kill I want you to do it quickly and cleanly, I don't want you knowing what it is like to torture a human, leave that for the death eaters trained to do such things." The Dark Lord replied.

"I want to learn all that you know, in case you forgot I am your equal, I can handle it and if you keep trying to shield me from the darker sides of your nature I am going to get more than irritated with you. I am not a child, which you should be fully aware of right now, I know what I am asking. Now let's try this again, what are you going to teach me?" Harry was getting frustrated with the men in his life trying to shield him, he wasn't made out of glass.

"I will teach you all I know," Voldemort gave in, _"You will always be my venomous lion, but you will never be caged. I will teach you what you want to know, just be careful what you wish for."_

_"I am sick of being careful, it is time for me to be strong. I am a Dark wizard just like you now, I am going to earn the name, I might as well learn from the best." _Harry's hisses were low and seductive, just the perfect tone to remind Voldemort about just what they had been doing the night before, not a child indeed.

_"Do you know what happens when you play with fire?" _Voldemort asked Harry in the same tone.

He was soon covered with Harry's body yet again as Harry hissed in his ear, _"You get burned, and what a wonderful feeling that can be to one who has been numb his whole life." _

_"Are you still numb?" _Voldemort asked as he copied Harry's move from the night before and pushed his knee up to the right spot. Voldemort was an experienced submissive teasing a novice dominant, it was fun for all included.

Harry had to draw in a shuddering breath before he could reply, _"You are the fire that burns away the numbness, for you I will always be able to feel."_

Voldemort's reply was given without words, he plundered Harry's willing mouth and they both had the same thought at the same time, 'we are not going to get any work done for awhile are we?'


	29. Sometimes It All Comes Together

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

**Sometimes It All Comes Together**

(The Bug- Mary Chapin Carpenter)**  
**

"Harry who do you hate? Not just dislike or feel irritable around, but who is it that you wouldn't think twice about leaving in a bloody shivering mess on the ground?" Voldemort asked stalking around Harry, both were in the hall that had been the site of their first duel with each other, and they were both shirtless and armed only with their wands.

"My uncle," Harry replied without a moment's hesitation.

"I thought as much, and I took the liberty of having a few of my best gather up a little present for your first lesson in death." Voldemort explained as the door to the chamber opened and an obese, nearly purple with rage, muggle was dragged into the room. Harry could tell his Uncle had been bound and silenced, but not stunned.

"How did you get to him?" Harry asked curiously as he started to quiver with suppressed power at the thought of finally being able to exact his revenge.

Voldemort just smiled evilly and responded, "All I had to do was call in a favor. I have contacts in the muggle world just like Dumbledore does, mine are there to spy on the muggleborn witches and wizards believed to be the most likely to marry into muggle lines. How else do you think I know which houses to attack? My contact works for the police and traded with me, he pulled some strings to release him early, and I relocated him to a field not so close to the muggles."

"You didn't just curse him until he obeyed you?" Harry knew Voldemort enjoyed his torture sessions, why take the time to bargain with the other man when he could have used other means to secure what he wanted.

"Who said a few rounds of Cruiciatus was not involved? Just because he got something out of it in the end does not mean I didn't use force to make him agree, punishment and reward have to be distributed in fairly equal amounts or my followers would desert me." Voldemort corrected.

"That makes sense, now what exactly are we going to be doing to my uncle?" Harry asked excitedly.

"You will kill him," Voldemort replied simply, "You wanted to learn, and no matter how powerful you are or how well you know the spell it will not work until you can harness the anger that is needed to kill someone. For your first lesson it is best we start with someone you hate, once you have felt the magic work you can recreate it in the future for any number of people."

Harry grinned, "Than you picked a good starting point, what spell are we going to start with?"

"Do you want to start simply or with something a little more original?" Voldemort asked, as there were several different ways to go about teaching death.

"Lets start with the most difficult and branch out from there, if I can do the hardest spells than I shouldn't have problems with the lesser ones so it will save time in the end, and time is the one thing we will soon be running out of." Harry decided.

"Good choice, and you already know what the most difficult curse is, the killing curse. I know Severus has explained all the unforgivables to you, and you are good enough at Cruciatus to hurt me, but have you ever used Avada Kedavra?"

"Severus never took the lessons that far, by the time I was strong enough to handle the magic he had already grown fond enough of me to want to avoid teaching me about death. We concentrated on the other two during the time we had." Harry replied.

"I thought as much from what you said when you asked me to teach you. You know the incantation already, did he at least show you the wand movement?" Voldemort began the lesson easily. Teaching came naturally to him, even if he didn't have much patience for one with slow wits, which thankfully was not a group Harry was among.

"No, he didn't want me to accidentally cast the spell without meaning to. Apparently the wards around Hogwarts would pick up on a student casting the killing curse, but not an adult. Its the ministry tracer at work on all wands sold to underage wizards, it is the only thing that would tell the Headmaster or the ministry for that manner that anyone was killing someone. When the tracer is gone there is no longer any alert sent out. So much for the safest place in the wizarding world, as long as the wizard is above age there is nothing stopping them from killing every student inside the school." Harry explained what they had found during his training with Severus.

"That doesn't really surprise me, Hogwarts was made into a shelter for families during the last war with Grindlewald, they would have adjusted the wards so any adult could use the unforgiveables for protection. I don't understand why they weren't changed back afterwords though." Tom Riddle had been one of the fighters in the Grindlewald wars, of course he would know details like that. Over the years since he had regained his body, his memories from his life before he attacked Harry Potter had slowly come back to him. It was a long process, but by now he had most of the memories from those dark years, and could use them to their fullest potential.

"I have no idea, but we can use that to our advantage later. I agree with no attacking students, but I know Dumbledore is not going to just lay down and take it if we try to overtake Hogwarts." Harry responded, "We can have a few key death eaters in the right places to subdue him when the time comes."

"I like the way you think but now, for the killing curse, I want you to remember the worst things he has ever done to you, and than try to summon the same anger you had when you came to us this summer. Hold onto that anger and say the spell, it is a bit like the patronus charm which I have been told you mastered at thirteen." Voldemort got the lesson back on track, it would not do for the muggle to die of a stroke before Harry got to practice.

Harry squared his shoulders and turned to his earliest tormentor, the memories of the past running through his mind without check as he felt his heart pound in his chest an the ringing start back up in his ears. He had been repressing the pain for so long it did not take long to bring it to the surface when he finally decided to get down to work. His uncles now puce colored face just fueling the anger more, what right did this man have to treat him like dirt? Why did he decide to use Harry as a human punching bag? Was he such a coward that he had to take his anger and unease out on a helpless child? Was it fun for him to crush the spirit from a little boy? Was he even human anymore?

Remembering the anger that lead him to physical violence against this man he lifted his wand and pointed it straight at Vernon's face, "AVADA KEDAVRA!" He cast without a moments hesitation, nothing would have stopped him in that moment from torturing his uncle except the thought of the death that was coming courtesy of his nephew's wand.

Voldemort stood silently and took in the sight of his beautiful venomous lion killing his flesh and blood uncle. It was an exhilarating, breath taking sight. Nothing could have pried Voldemort's eyes off Harry in that moment, nothing.

"That felt good," Harry replied breathing harshly from the exhilaration of casting the spell as his Essence came bursting out of his soul full force, it hadn't had much of a chance to come out and play as he still shielded out of habit most of the time.

Voldemort smiled at his lover, a true smile not the malicious grin he normally wore, "That is what true magic feels like. When your heart, mind, and soul all agree with what you are doing and you have to mold the magic into your own creations. It is what wizards and witches have been trying to achieve since the ancient days, it is only in modern times that this true magic has been locked away behind laws and labels, and this is only the first taste there is much more to come."

"Than I can't wait to learn more," Harry practically whispered as he felt the elation running through his system in the aftershock of the spell. Nothing he had ever cast before had felt remotely like this, Severus mainly taught him how to fight, not to manipulate life and death. Harry felt on top of the world in that moment, his magic was singing in his veins, it was absolutely perfect.


	30. Would You Die Tonight

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Thirty**

**Would You Die Tonight**

(Join Me-HIM)**  
**

"The elections have gone as planned, the new minister is our puppet. When we are prepared to strike we will have the full backing of the law." Lucius reported from behind his silver mask to the assembled death eaters and his two lords.

"Very good Lucius, now we just have to find a way to get around that old bastard Dumbledore," Voldemort replied, allowing Lucius to return to his place in the inner circle without further comments or chastisement.

"Leave Dumbledore, and Hogwarts, to me. I want there to be minimal blood split from the students, and we all know what Dumbledore is like with children. I am the one in the best position to take Hogwarts from the inside, I will take Dumbledore's support right out from under him until he has nothing left to stand on. When that happens, it should be easy to have him removed and disposed of." Mirage spoke up from his place at Voldemort's right side.

"How would you go about achieving something like that?" Voldemort asked his lover.

"I will need to resurface in the wizarding world once again as Harry Potter. As much as I detest it, I have fame in our world, and I can use it if need be. I already have a foothold amongst the students in the form of a dueling class I have been teaching, I will simply need to get our goals to the rest of the school. The right rumors dropped in the right place and it won't take long at all for the Hogwarts rumor mill to completely ruin Dumbledore." Mirage explained loosely, nothing would be set in stone, the lesson about spies need only be taught once.

"You are going to play the wounded hero arn't you?" Severus asked from beside Lucius in the circle.

"Yes, that is what Dumbledore wanted me to be in the first place, he is going to get it. It may not be in the way he intended it, but I will be the person he always wanted me to be. I can't wait to see the look on his face when all his scheming explodes in his face." Mirage agreed with his old mentor.

"How do you intend to return to the Light side? You didn't leave you're guardians' house peacefully." Voldemort asked, curious about the only part of the plan he didn't understand.

"I will be staying with a friend of mine for the rest of the summer." Harry responded in English for the ears of the Death Eaters, in Parseltongue he went into further detail. _"Hermione's home will be the safest, and her parents did say I could visit her for awhile. Neville's has too many Dark magic detectors for me to go unnoticed. It will only be for the two weeks until school starts. Neville could come as well and I could work on their training until they are closer to my level. I want them as strong as possible before September." _

Voldemort had to forcefully pull his mind out of the realm of fantasy and concentrate on the actual words as his venomous lion spoke. _"I agree, I know you trust them, and if you do than I do as well. They had better live up to our expectations, they will not be readily accepted here and you know it. Teach them to command respect and I will help you train them when the time is right." _

_"Thank you, now we had better get back to the meeting, there is work to be done before we can properly indulge ourselves." _Harry warned as he turned his attention back to the assembled Death Eaters. He knew speaking in snake tongue was risky, but letting his exact whereabouts be known was even more risky. He would rather jump his lover in public than put Hermione in danger before she was strong enough to defend herself. It was bad enough she already felt discouraged by her lack of Essence, even after he explained that females matured into the Essence slower, he didn't want her to lose a duel on top of that.

Later that evening...

Voldemort and Harry lay entwined on a bed surrounded by rumpled sheets and scattered clothing. Voldemort lay flat on his back, while Harry lay on his side propped up by his arm and pressed up against him drawing pictures with his hand on the Dark Lord's chest. "Are you sure you are going to be alright? I have little doubt that nosy people are going to be asking questions. You did leave your house in a rather spectacular fashion, I am sure someone from the Order has heard about it. They might even have your known friends under surveillance. If they do you may just have to deal with Dumbledore before you go back to school." Voldemort warned as the light teasing touches from Harry made his skin tighten and his muscles twitch.

"This is the right thing to do, I am sure of it, and if I was nervous about meeting Dumbledore on even ground with muggle witnesses than I am not ready for any of this. I need to establish my act and the perfect way of doing that is to meet him head on. If he believes me to be back under his control I will have more freedom than I have had in past years. It is that freedom that is going to do the most good." Harry replied earnestly, not stopping in his teasing.

_"It is not your safety I worry about. You are ready for this, I worry that you will kill that fool before the time is right. We need him alive for just a little while longer. No one will listen to a murderer but they will listen to a victim." _Voldemort hissed.

_"I do have some self-control, I just have to look forward to him losing everything he worked for. I am going to make sure he goes down in flames." _Harry defended himself gently, not having enough energy to get angry.

_"Just make sure you get to Hogwarts safe and sane, you know what is going to happen then." _Voldemort's glee was palpable.

_"Maybe I should be warning you? We don't want to show our hand too early, you need to gain the students trust first." _Harry warned.

Voldemort smiled at Harry, _"I know what I am doing. I do know how to gather followers, if I was able to do it as a student, this should be even simpler."_

_"I will help you gain trust amongst the students, we will bring Dumbledore to his knees together." _Harry replied venomously, his hatred for the Headmaster only growing since his second year.


	31. Take A Breath

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Thirty-One**

**Take a Breath**

(Russian Roulette- Rhianna)**  
**

Hermione's parents were dentists. Harry had always known that. What he hadn't known was just how prosperous they were. She might not have been as rich as some of the pureblood wizards but she certainly never had to worry about affording her school supplies like the Weasley's had**. **These thoughts struck Harry as he walked up the short path to his oldest friend's door. She lived in a spacious two story home with a well kept lawn and a nice vegetable garden off to the left side of the house. The car, provided by Lucius for this purpose, pulled out of the drive with a tip of the driver's hat.

Harry knocked on Hermione's door, he had already warned her he would be arriving today via a public phone in the village outside Voldemort's manor. Mirage was one of the few death eaters comfortable enough to travel in both the muggle and wizarding worlds. It made getting fresh groceries and information into the manor that much easier if they had a few people blending in with the locals. As Harry waited for Hermione to answer the door he idly thought about how oblivious wizards were to the usefulness and security of a muggle telephone.

"Harry! Its so good to see you!" Hermione nearly squealed as she launched herself into his arms.

Harry's knees buckled a bit under the weight of the unexpected tackle hug, but he kept his balance and hugged her back briefly. "Good to see you too Hermione."

"Come inside, have you had a long trip? Are you tired? Hungry?" Hermione prattled on, with Harry just following with a small smile on his face.

"Hermione, I'm fine. It was a nice day for traveling and I ate well before I left the manor. You can stop worrying so much." Harry finally got a word in between her rapid fire questions.

She blushed as she realized how much she was mother henning him. "Sorry Harry, its just I have been worried about you."

"I know that Hermione, its ok, I honestly had the best summer of my life this year. While its regretful that we now have to do some damage control from what I did to the Dursleys, the rest of it couldn't have gone more perfectly." Harry reassured her.

"Alright what do you need from me? I want to help if I can." Hermione insisted seriously.

"I need you to act normally, I am going to play this like my third year. I lost my temper over the Dursleys abuse and had a burst of accidental magic causing me to apparate away when the police got there. It was self defense, and that's the truth, I just don't want anyone to know about how I really got out or that I hurt Vernon more than was strictly necessary to get myself out of harms way." Harry explained.

"So you are going to play the wounded hero, are you sure you can handle that? You hated everyone doting on you over your parents death when we first got to Hogwarts. Is this going to be much different or is there another reason you are playing it this way?" Hermione inquired trying to understand the situation as much as possible.

"Oh its going to be worse than first year, I know that much already. This is the best way of garnering favor with the students and keeping my reputation until it is time to show my true colors. If it can help us win, and it will, than I can handle it." Harry replied.

"When do you want to get started on this plan of yours?"

"It has already been started, I have several connections with the press now and they are running a more detailed version of the story I just gave you. It will also state that I gave the interview with a willingly taken truth serum in my system. Which is not true, but I have seen what people will believe these last few years, and no one is going to catch a white lie like that under a story that real. We are going to have a nice visit, and do everything expected of school kids on vacation, but I will be working on your magic as well. Neville though might be a problem, he is loyal I am sure of that his grandmother being so suspicious is what worries me. HE is trying to come up with something external to shield darkness from detection, but if it was easy someone would have already done it by now."

"There doesn't seem like we can do anything to help Neville by worrying over it, and I don't have any means of researching something like that from here, so that leaves us with your plan. What do you want to do first?"

"Well there is something I never got to do much at the Dursleys that sounded fun." Harry suddenly looked a bit unsure of himself again, and Hermione wondered why until he finished with a blush. "Do you think maybe we could watch a few movies? I listened to some when I was cleaning and thought it might be nice to actually watch some."

Hermione grinned and dragged him off to her room, she had her own tv and everything, and started to pull movies off her shelves and chatter away about them to a rapidly confused Harry. He might be a high and mighty Death Eater now, but he was still completely out of his league when faced with a chick flick.

It took awhile but they finally settled on a movie and Hermione popped the disc in the player. The movie started and for awhile that was all the sound in the room as they watched the characters act out the story. Harry was surprised at how much he enjoyed this simple entertainment. After the life he had, it felt good to just slow down and let someone else be the hero, or the villain. It was a relaxing start to a two week vacation filled with muggle adventures and magical learning.

It was tricky teaching Hermione how to cast spells without using their wands. They could practice the words and the motions but until they got back to Hogwarts or Voldemort's manor no magic could be detected from this house. Harry had to play it completely safe for now, until he was confidant his story had been taken seriously. He wouldn't know the extent of his success until September but he had high hopes after their annul shopping trip to Diagon Alley went without any mobs or crying fans.

One thing was for sure, when he got back to Hogwarts it would not be so simple to keep Mirage undercover. He had fallen into his commander roll easily, and it would be hard for him to give that up at school. There was no place for Mirage in Harry Potter's world, and he couldn't wait until the hero's world shattered and Mirage's grew stronger.


	32. Moment I Knew I Would Be Someone Else

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**A/N** Quick explanation. I will be going back and forth between using the name Harry and Mirage, this is deliberate, and shows which side of his personality is dominate at the time. For the beginning of this year he will be mostly Harry, but as we move on there will be more of Mirage.

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

**This Moment I Knew I Would Be Someone Else  
**

The whispers started as soon as they entered the platform, just as Harry had been expecting. The planted interview in the Prophet has done its job and he was back in the public's ever fickle good graces. Speculation was running wild over the incident from the summer with his uncle. He had played it simple and close to his chest, he had come home to a summer of abuse, on that night it had grown too much to handle and his magic had lashed out at his uncle beyond his control, he hadn't been aware he had apparated until he found himself at the home of kindly old muggle couple that took him in with the promise of help with the daily chores. Of course he wouldn't give out the name of the couple, they had been very kind to him and he didn't want a media circus following them around day in and day out.

It was the perfect cover story because even if Dumbledore had a means of tracking Harry and thus knew he hadn't been in the muggle world, he would have had to explain his own intentions with the tracers in order to expose Harry's lie. The only legal tracers were those approved and applied by ministry wizards. Lord Voldemort had his followers in the records department look up the information, there was nothing legal about any trace on Harry. Dumbledore would ruin his own credibility to get to Harry, and the old wizard was too crafty to do that so early in the game. No Dumbledore would keep quiet in public, but he would be on even higher alert at school to every move Harry made. Mirage did not put it past the old goat to have Harry drugged or followed in order to find out what had really happened over the summer. The old Harry would have fallen for at least a few of these traps, Mirage still hadn't decided on which ones he would purposefully let himself get caught in, Dumbledore would be much less of a threat if he believed Harry was still in his grasp.

Hermione and Neville were flanking them on the platform, Neville had been able to join them for the final week before school started, they had met up in Diagon alley a few days after the Prophet article. The article was what placated Neville's formidable grandmother into letting him stay at Hermione's. It had allowed Harry time to train them and prepare them for what would happen once school started. Right now they were waiting for Harry's signal telling them to gather the most promising members of the dueling club together so they could begin to bring the students over to the new way of thinking. At Harry's nod they melted into the crowd of student's leaving Harry standing there, making sure to keep the hunched, slightly frightened expression Harry usually carried in crowds. His real persona was Mirage, strong and fearless, but he couldn't be caught in that form this early. The change from Harry to Mirage would have to happen over time in the school year. He had began to show his true colors the year before, if he slipped into Mirage every once and awhile it wouldn't be too shocking, but the full force of his new found confidence would just be too much. Only a select few would know the truth of his personality.

Slithering through the crowd like a snake, Harry was amongst the first students to board the train, he easily found an empty compartment and sat down to wait for Hermione and Neville to get back with his hopefuls. He had asked them to retrieve the best and brightest, at least the ones with darker leanings. The light students in the club would come later but for now he needed generals to lead the others when Mirage was busy elsewhere. He used this time to himself to place a few well chosen wards on the compartment in advance, even Hermione and Neville wouldn't know exactly what protections were up. It was a safety measure, if they thought secrecy was necessary they would be more careful than if they just relied on wards that could be broken by a strong enough counter. Harry was not so arrogant that the possibility of someone breaking his wards wasn't being considered.

When Hermione and Neville found him again they were trailing four others behind them, it was a tight fit in the train compartment but somehow they all managed to find room to sit down. Interestingly enough, there was at least one student from each house in the compartment, Terry Boot from Ravenclaw, Cedric Diggory from Hufflepuff, and last but not least Draco and Blaise from Slytherin. "Harry what's going on?" Draco asked, it hadn't been easy but Mirage hadn't had contact with his Slytherin contacts at all in the summer. The two Slytherins didn't have any more information on his summer than the rest of the student body.

"Draco its starting, I am finally strong enough." Harry replied seriously, not sure how much Draco would pick up without being told. The least said out loud the better, no one could repeat what wasn't said.

"Ah, so that's where you went, I thought that might be the case. Was the prophet at least mostly right about the circumstances?" The blond boy answered, he was a very smart wizard, he had figured out that Harry had meant the war itself was beginning and for that to happen Harry had to have been in contact with the Dark Lord over the summer.

Harry smiled a bit at that, "Oh it was right in the general sense that I did attack my Uncle after he beat me, but it was far from accidental. I knew what I was doing the whole time. The tragic Death Eater raid that I barely escaped out of pure luck was a retrieval mission, I needed something for target practice."

"Why would the prophet lie?" Cedric asked feeling a bit confused, he was smart enough to know that if all this was being discussed around them, than they were supposed to hear it. What he couldn't figure out was why they had been allowed to be in on this.

"They didn't know I was lying, the story was mostly truth anyway, I just needed a good cover story. You see Cedric things are going to start changing this year, nothing will happen very quickly or fast but it will be steady and smooth, and I want all of you in on this. The six of you in this compartment powerful and intelligent, making you strong and smart enough to be very useful in other words. My dueling club was a training ground, for protectors and defenders, you are my choices for those that may be proactive in the war we are in right now. Know now I didn't start this war, but I will be working towards finishing it once and for all. Before you hear any more of this I need to have your oaths that our discussion will not make it out of this train, if you disagree with me you will not be harmed, but you will be Obliviated, if you are not willing to cooperate with this leave now." Harry laid out his offer, he hoped he sounded generous, he hadn't told them one of his wards was an Obliviate ward set to erase the memories of anyone who did not take the oath of secrecy.

"I don't know about them but I am curious enough to want to know what is going on. I don't much like the idea of being Obliviated, but I guess if I agree with you I will be safe enough." Terry agreed taking out his wand and pointed it at himself, "I Terry Boot do swear on my magic that I will not betray the secrets of Harry Potter in any way that he does not directly order me to." He swore and a white light glowed around him for a moment showing the oath had been accepted by the magic that heard it.

"I agree with Terry, I want to know more about this, I will hear you out." Cedric also agreed, following Terry's example taking the oath.

Blaise and Draco didn't hesitate with their oaths, Blaise was silent as usual before taking it but Draco did comment. "You should know you don't need to ask."

"What about those two?" Terry asked indicating Hermione and Neville.

"They have both already taken their oaths, they have been working with me for months." Harry replied to him easily, relaxing into the question and answer session, it was all going as he planned it so far.

"So, why did you chose us? What is going to be happening at Hogwarts?" Terry asked wanting his curiosity to be satisfied quickly, so he could either get started doing whatever Harry was proposing or running from a shower of Obliviates.

"I already told you why I chose you, you're useful. As for what is going on, its simple, the war with Lord Voldemort did not end when I stopped him all those years ago, it was just put on hold. That war is starting again, Lord Voldemort has been alive and growing in power since the end of my second year. I know rumors of this have been floating around for almost as long as that, and I am telling you that it is entirely accurate. All the time he has been growing stronger, the Headmaster has known and instead of preparing the world he concentrated on perfecting his own defense. He wanted me to fight the Dark Lord for him, and do it without hesitation. If the Headmaster has his way with this war I would be the one to fight and kill Voldemort, and without any proper training this would be suicide, I know that." Harry began the long tale, glossing over the more colorful parts of his hatred for Dumbledore, it was best to ease the new minds into the concept of a bad Headmaster rather than bashing them over the head with it.

Cedric looked a bit incredulous at this, "If that's true, and so far I haven't seen reason for you to lie, than why would you fight for him?"

"I am not fighting for him." Harry replied simply, surprised he had to come out and say it outright. "He lost the right to use my power a long time ago, and if it weren't for some timely intervention I wouldn't be half the wizard I am now. I am fighting to create a better, safer, magical world. I don't mean a utopia, because there is no such thing as a perfect society, but the one we have is badly broken and if something doesn't change soon we will all be living in a pile of rubble where our world used to be."

"What kind of changes?" Terry was getting impatient with all the lead up, the back story wasn't as interesting to him as the action plan.

"The ministry is going to need a complete overhaul, it is broken beyond repair, it is going to be much simpler just to eradicate the whole mess and start over. There are already people in place gauging the ability of the wizards working there, and there is much to be desired. Although I personally believe the root problem isn't the ministry itself, but the fact Hogwarts itself has gone downhill, a competent government can not be found from substandard students. Do you know the pass percentage of OWL students hasn't gone up in nearly 60 years? It has fallen steadily by two or three percent a year, which may not seem like much but it adds up. There are a variety of reasons for this, and we have a plan for correcting the majority of these. What you will be needed to do is to be my eyes and ears in the other houses, see what the students are thinking about the rumors going around, and there will be rumors, well there will be once I start them anyway. I will also need you to help me with the dueling club, I am going to be working much harder this year getting things worked out, and I will need competent people to fill in for me when I can't be there." Harry replied, not wanting to get in a long, drawn out, discussion of why things were broken. The why didn't matter, all that mattered now was how they were going to try to fix it.

Terry narrowed his eyes at Harry. "Alright you just said WE have a plan to fix things, now just who are you working for?"

"What makes you think I am working with anyone who isn't in this compartment with us?" Mirage was curious about this, he wanted to know what kind of deductive powers this Ravenclaw had.

"Well for one, most of us are in the same year, and I find it hard to believe a couple of fifth years is plotting all of this by yourself no matter who you are. Next you have information a normal student wouldn't have without outside assistance. Also you speak like a leader but you act like a soldier, you are taking orders from someone just like you are ordering us. Now you have already said you don't like Dumbledore, so its either the Dark Lord or an entity no one knows about yet." Terry analyzed the situation surprisingly accurately. "I just want to know who I am working for is all."

"For starters you work for me, not anyone else. I do in fact have someone I am working with, but I wouldn't call it working for him, we are just about equals in the whole thing. He is older and has more experience is all, we have the same power and goals though. I will not say it out loud unless you force my hand, but tell me this does it really matter? If you agree with what I am saying then does the source of the information make a difference?" Harry inquired piercingly.

"I think I already know who you are working with, and I would rather not hear it out loud. I don't mean I disagree, but I need time to think on it alright?" Cedric replied before Terry, he had been listening in on Harry's answer and it really wasn't much of a leap. He didn't care if they found out Harry just didn't want to compromise himself by actually saying anything.

Terry gave it a bit more thought before responding, "I agree with Cedric. I am pretty sure I know who you mean, now is it safe for me to leave without being Obliviated? I just want to be alone and think a bit."

"Yes it is safe for you to leave, just remember your vow, its your magic that depends on it." Harry warned, as the Ravenclaw left and Cedric quickly followed his example with a hurried excuse.

"Alright Harry, now tell us the whole story, what happened this summer?" Blaise broke his silence to ask. He has been listening and weighing the conversation, he had learned long ago that in silence you found answers, sometimes more quickly than with questions. He wanted to know how Harry his friend had fared during the summer, he didn't care about the politics so much as Harry's safety and comfort. Draco would have agreed with this if he was privy to the thoughts.

Harry for his part dutifully filled them in on the events of the summer leaving out the parts he felt were too dangerous to say out loud no matter to whom he was speaking. He remembered to allow them the ability to fill in the other Slytherins in there group about his condition. The rule about his secrets did apply to this and he didn't feel like going over this multiple times. It was just easier to release them from their oath for this conversation.

The nice conversation with his friends was good for him, because soon enough the were pulling into Hogsmeade and his chess match with Dumbledore was about to begin.


	33. A Little bit of Hell This Time

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Thirty-Three**

**A Little Bit of Hell This Time**

(The Game- Disturbed)**  
**

Mirage carefully scanned the great hall before he walked in. He was checking to see if all the players were in the right place. Harry wasn't one to go after attention, and Mirage was going to have to work around that for awhile longer if he didn't want people asking too many hard to answer questions too fast. He was going to have to charm the pants off the Hogwarts students, effectively stealing their affection away from the Headmaster. The sooner the better, Dumbledore was a lot of bad things but stupid wasn't one of them. Mirage had no doubts the manipulative old goat had been making just as many plans as the Dark side had. Harry's interview with the Prophet might have thrown a few wrenches in the gears, but there had been two weeks to adjust plans since the article's release.

Mirage and Voldemort had been busy making sure their earliest moves would be well covered. They knew Harry was going to be under heavy watch from every person under Dumbledore's influence, the easiest way around that watchfulness would be for the first moves to not come from Harry. If Dumbledore was busy putting out brush fires he might just miss the real ploy all together, or at least not be able to devote as much attention to it as he should.

There was one player in particular that Mirage was looking for, but fortunately she was incredibly easy to spot. She always did have a flair for the dramatic, though he did think she could have done without quite so much pink. Dolores Umbridge, the new Defense teacher, and a Death Eater plant elected by the ministry just for the purpose of causing anarchy. Lucius' pet minister was already starting to pay off just by getting her into Hogwarts. The hastily held ministry election had been so well executed by the Dark side all reports coming in told them the Light side was sure they had managed to keep the Dark sides candidate out of the office.

Mirage' did have a concern about the overly toadish woman, her problem with magical creatures would need to be curbed and heavily. A Death Eater with that strong of prejudice's could prove to be a liability to the Dark if too many people complained and started digging too deeply into her past looking for any excuse to get rid of her. Controlling the woman was going to be Mirage's first real practice with leadership within the Dark ranks. If he couldn't keep a leash on the relatively weak willed toad, he was going to have no chance with the higher level Death Eaters.

Once he saw her at the Head table he walked slowly into the hall, cowering slightly away from the crowds, imitating his old mannerisms to a tee. As Mirage had grown in confidence he had found out how much of his life he had given up in his quest to be ignored. Now he wanted nothing more than to lift his head high and drop his shields letting his power shine through, but no, it was too early. The timing wasn't right, and he wasn't strong enough to come up against the Headmaster one on one, it would get to that point, but not yet.

Sliding into his seat at the Gryffindor table between Neville and Hermione he felt eyes drilling into him from the front table. A quick glance out of the corner of his eyes confirmed the Headmaster was indeed staring at him. He didn't know whether it was supposed to be an intimidating look or a measuring one, he just hated having those eyes on him. Dumbledore was a man that Mirage hated with every fiber of his being, and it was taking all of his effort to ignore the staring and keep to the plan. He felt his lover would have felt pride in his control in the intervening minutes between the elder students entering the hall, and the beginning of the sorting where Dumbledore was obliged to take his eyes off Harry and focus on the first years.

"Harry is everything alright?" Hermione asked, noticing Harry was sitting very stiffly in his chair, like he was barely resisting the urge to bolt.

Harry turned towards her to take his mind off Dumbledore, "I'll be fine, Dumbledore has just been staring at me since I came into the hall. I really don't like it." With a hall full of students able to hear him, Mirage felt it would be safer to generalize and understate. He didn't want to use too many wards in the Great Hall, wards could be broken, it was best to learn to speak carefully without giving anything away, wards or no wards.

Hermione was intelligent enough to realize what Harry was doing in talking like that, she easily copied his moves. "I bet he is just worried about you, I mean what happened was horrible. That interview you gave had me in tears." Which was true, as far as it went, and it seemed to take Harry's mind off the probing looks sent his way.

"He should have worried about me a little sooner then if he is so concerned now." Mirage felt letting Harry show some justifiable anger towards the headmaster could cover up any unintentional slip ups in dealing with Dumbledore in the coming months. He really didn't think Hermione and him could have planned the conversation better, and it played right into their hands.

"He can't be expected to know everything Harry." Hermione wasn't sure that was the best place to steer the conversation, but she thought there was far worse ways it could go.

Harry snorted at that, "I can guarantee that he knew about it before the Prophet article. I don't want to talk about this anymore, it hurts too much." The conversation had done its job, it was time to wait and see what Dumbledore was planning to do, it was his move now.

The sorting passed normally, nothing raised any red flags in Mirage's mind. He noted where the children of Death Eaters ended up, and out of curiosity he scanned them for the Essence. Two had the potential for Dark Arts, but none had dabbled in the actual spell work as of yet. Draco had been unusual, he had arrived at Hogwarts with a developed Essence and it had grown steadily. Lucius worked his son hard, but Draco didn't hold it against him. The elder Malfoy just wanted Draco to be as strong as he could get.

Beyond the first years the hall contained several students with the Essence, there was no house without at least one Dark oriented person. Draco's was by far the strongest student Essence, besides himself, in the hall. A few of the sixth and Seventh years were getting close though, they would be strong fighters and bore watching. He also spotted the people he had gathered on the train, and his students from the dueling club. It was only after seeing them all in one place, spread amongst the regular students, that he realized just how many people he already had working under him. Nothing was formalized with them. He didn't have an army, but he could see the potential in the people he had been gathering around him.

After the food was eaten it was time for Dumbledore's yearly speech. The usual warnings were given, but then his voice changed a bit, and Mirage knew he needed to pay attention. "As many of you know our Mr. Potter had suffered greatly at the hands of his family, on his own words he has been abused and neglected, barely escaping with his life. This year you must do your best to watch over him and see he gets the care he has been missing out on for so long." Dumbledore was serene, sincere, and modest and the students lapped it up. Either looking at Harry in pity, or in poorly disguised rage at how differently he was being treated than all the other hurting children.

Mirage just about exploded in rage, that had been an unexpected move. Dumbledore was supposed to push the rumors to the side, or simply ignore them in public, he wasn't supposed to make a spectacle. It was a good thing they had a contingency plan set in place for the beginning of the year with Umbridge, otherwise it would be months before Harry could make any moves to further the cause. He let himself slump in his chair, and make himself as small as possible. The old Harry would hide, where Mirage would confront. He would just have to hold himself back until it was time to give Dumbledore his dues.

"Hem, Hem," Every neck in the hall snapped as heads turned towards the very indelicate interruption of the chatter Dumbledore's announcement had caused. "Headmaster Dumbledore, the ministry has placed me here at this school to make sure no student suffers like Mr. Potter has again." Which was true, it had been a readily available excuse to have their minister plant someone in the school. "I will not have a school filled with Vigilante's trying to track down evils that don't exist. To stop this from happening I am implementing a student run group that will be checking into the care the students of this school receive, both here and at home. Students in their third year or more wishing to participate may sign up in their next Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Only those students with an Exceeds Expectations or higher on their final exam from last year will be accepted into this group."

The voices in the hall rose once again as Umbridge sat back down after her announcement. To the students it now made more sense why Harry's situation had been so exposed, it was a way to introduce the new teacher and implement a new safety measure. Of course if they had bothered to look at Dumbledore's face while she had been talking they would realize he had no such knowledge of any group being formed. Mirage had to hide a smile at her performance. She had done exactly what needed to be done. Dumbledore had revealed his plan in front of the school, probably intending to create an army of watchdogs to report back on Harry's behavior. Instead he gave Umbridge an opening to make her sphere of influence grow. She was a good choice for her post to come up with that so quickly.

They had been planning a smaller group of students drawn slowly away from the rest in order to inspect the workings of the castle, this group would be headed by Umbridge in name only, it would end up in Mirage's hands as time passed. Now though it was a much wider range of students, and Harry had a iron clad reason to be a big part of it. Mirage wondered if Dumbledore would end up regretting his announcement, because to Mirage's eyes Dumbledore had just played into their hands better than the Dark side could have hoped for.

Dumbledore was doing a fine job of digging his own grave.


	34. Wipe Away The Tears

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**A/N **There is an explanation for my long absence in my profile, I went through Hell and I'm still dealing with it, I'm finally to the point I can write again without ruining the plots. I'm adding a bit to Rip Out the Wings for plot depth, but the only hints of it here will be a possible change in timing with a relationship I have planned.

This is my longest running, as well as highest rated, story and I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for reading this and supporting me all these years. I don't care if you review, even though they are appreciated, I know what it means to spend your time here so thank you every single one of you. What I went through makes me appreciate the time you devote to my efforts. It makes me happy to think of how many people I have entertained. Please enjoy the rest of the story, I'm writing this for you and myself, it is my gift to you.

Thank you.

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

**Wipe Away The Tears**

(Possession- Evans Blue)

Harry could honestly say he had never enjoyed a Defense class so much before. Even when Remus was teaching and taught them about cool dark creatures, he was never this stunningly hilarious. Umbridge was doing everything her Lord has asked her to, and it made Mirage want to weep with joy.

She was doing every possible thing in here power to drive the typical students insane. With every 'hem hem' and detention she dished out the more desperate the students got, especially those going up for OWLs and NEWTs, that's when Harry started the rumor slowly about a place the students could go to receive some real training. His spies amongst the other houses brought him back positive results.

Harry's Light oriented defense group was going to grow by the dozens faster than he could hope for, and the only catch was his darklings would need to be slightly more cautious in their casting. They could use a few lessons in discretion anyway, so Mirage saw it as killing two birds with one stone. As far as his Dark students went, this was the year he planned on pulling out the dark ones and including them with Hermione and Neville. He stood by his original words to Neville, he would teach all the students that came to him, but that didn't mean he was going to teach all of them everything. Only those he saw were worth the effort of training were to be brought to his specialized lessons.

He even had a trick up his sleeve, during his stay at Hermione's they had worked out a second course for those either like Neville who could not afford to have the Essence grow on them, or for people like Blaise who simply didn't have it but still wanted to support Harry. These were lessons devoted to fighting and killing with Light spells and hand to hand combat. Mirage wanted to know that no matter which side their magic leaned towards, his supporters would have a way to fight just as strongly as the Dark ones.

Outside of class the first rounds of inspections had begun with the upper level students, the official reasoning behind this was they had been suffering the longest and needed to be freed first, the younger ones could come if they had injuries that needed tending, but if it was not immediate they would until their year was approached.

The true reasoning was Mirage wanted to know which students he could possibly sway to his way of thinking, and he didn't want the younger years fighting, so starting with the older students gave him more time to train those that agreed to support whichever side was against the man who left them alone in their suffering. He would leave it up to the students themselves just how deeply they would go into the Dark side. For now he was content with training them and seeing where it lead.

It was interesting to see the expression on the student's face when the teacher observing the Light sided defense club was Umbridge herself, Severus came for the Dark lessons, but there was a reason Harry wanted the overly pink witch involved. One he was shocked to find actually worked, it had been a tentative plan at best, after all the wards around Hogwarts couldn't be that bad could they?

Apparently they were.

Two months into the school year, and the fourth lesson with Umbridge overseeing the ever growing group Harry's closest friends began to suspect something was off about the situation. The Generals had been told the woman was on their side, but they couldn't figure out why her manner was so different from even the inspection interviews held with the students. The only one who thought to approach Harry about it surprisingly wasn't Draco, Neville, or Hermione even though all three were just as curious as the rest, no it was Blaise who came to him.

"Alright Harry, dare I ask just what you're up to?" He asked pointedly, knowing the charade was too good to figure out without outright asking the source.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Harry replied with a shrug, not looking up from the essay he was trying to finish. He had a few minutes between the end of the normal lesson and the beginning of the specialized one, it would look too suspicious if the same students stayed behind every meeting, so they would leave and come back a good half an hour after the normal meeting.

Blaise glared at him pointedly, "Harry you are still a horrible liar. You know perfectly well there is only one mystery big enough I couldn't figure out without asking you. So why don't you just tell me why Umbridge seems to morph into someone entirely different during every session here?"

Harry sighed as he was caught, he learned the magical lessons quickly, but as far as the ones concerning his personality such as hiding his emotions and his total inability to lie (he could withhold the truth, and mislead people, but telling a complete falsehood was beyond him) he still had a lot to learn. "Alright, if you know so much, tell me your thoughts. If your observations are correct and your theories at least plausible I might just answer you as a reward."

"Fine. I know there is something happening with her that causes her personality to shift dramatically, but the shift is temporary and so well executed only those of us aware that she has changed are those that spend time with her on the Inquisitorial Squad. We have seen her normal personality when not in class, and her attitude is far different here than there. I know you would never directly control a person through such means as compulsion charms or potions, which means you are not the cause of the change. The thing I keep coming up with is you need a responsible adult to oversee the club, that Dumbledore can't object to, but is powerful enough to contain any exposure your darker students may accidentally cause. So either Umbridge is acting so well as to fool us outside of this room, which I personally doubt, or you have found a way to replace her with someone you trust for the purpose of protecting your students." Blaise worked out slowly, his theory had only been half worked out before he approached Harry, the question wasn't a complete surprise, but he still had a bit of thought to put into it as he went along.

Harry nodded approvingly, "Very good. Yes, you are correct in your thoughts, both that Umbridge does shift personalities, and that she is not so good an actress as to fool everyone. Tell me Blaise have you ever heard of Polyjuice potion?"

Blaise felt his jaw drop, he should have been expecting that, but it was honestly a shock. He hadn't thought Harry would be quite that daring yet. "Who had been coming in her place?"

Harry laughed softly, "Which time? My partner would not risk sending the same person multiple times, the first night it was Severus himself to check the potency of the potion, it took too long to brew a fresh batch before October so he was making sure the old was still good enough. If it had worn off on him than we could just explain it was a way of testing everyone's deductive skills, seeing if they could spot the differences in her. After we knew it would still last the full hour without needing a re-dose, my partner sent Rabastan Lestrange as Rudolphus and Bellatrix are still recovering from their stay in Azkaban. They were freed but still have a long way to go before they can be put on any missions. Avery was next, he and I get along alright but I'm not as familiar with him he is often too immersed in his missions to stay and talk after meetings. Tonight was actually Draco's father and I'm surprised he didn't see it for himself. I saw Lucius drop half a dozen hints during the lesson that should have given him away. We had a bet going whether or not Draco would figure it out, now Lucius owes me a galleon." Harry had decided that instead of going with the hideously long hyphenations, or by name, Voldemort would be referred to as Harry's partner for both added security and ease of use.

Blaise just stared at Harry, not believing what he had just heard. "You are trying to tell me that Hogwarts has played host to three marked Deatheaters and not a single ward went off alerting the Headmaster?" He finally got the words unstuck enough to ask.

"Nope, I suspected there wasn't any ward when I heard Severus say Dumbledore had to visually check his arm to tell whether the Mark was still active or not. If there was a ward it would have told Dumbledore the mark was still functioning so the soul that it was bound to was still around somewhere. Rabastan volunteered to be the first non-sanctioned death eater to arrive, he is a bit of an adrenaline junkie and liked the danger involved. When he passed through and we weren't caught the other two came." Harry was right to be proud of himself over this success, after all the plan was his. He had thought it up when he realized that Umbridge's announcement at the feast opened the possibility to expand his club. More people meant more risk, and he wanted another higher level supporter around for backup. Even Voldemort wouldn't risk that alone, so Harry felt no shame in asking for extra aide, that's what followers were for.

"How did the switch happen without anyone noticing there were two Umbridges walking around?" Blaise was getting over his shock and more interested in the logistics of the plan.

"There is only ever one in the castle at a time," Harry explained, shoving up his sleeve showing his battered transport band, "This is a portkey to my partner and she has one just like it. When the time comes she portkeys to my partner who receives the potion from Severus, she adds her hair and than whoever drew the short straw that night takes it and uses the band to return here. I make sure none of my lessons lasts more than two hours, as they only carry one extra dose with them. Any more and the pattern of drinking might be noticed." Mirage would never have explained all that if this wasn't one of his oldest friends. Blaise had been one of the ones telling him of his potential during his first visit to Hell's Paradise. Betrayal was always in the back of his mind, but he had a fairly good idea of which avenue that might come form. He never revealed more than he could deal with getting out, this was one of the bigger ones, but if he didn't show some trust to the higher ups in his group their loyalty to him could start weakening.

The best way to avoid betrayal is to make sure your followers were content with how things were going. Blaise had more to lose supporting him than others, after all he had no Essence if he didn't want to be involved in the war he could be neutral and not bothered by any laws made concerning such things. Instead he chose to fight, Harry hoped that was enough to make him stick around. He really was a brilliant wizard.

Harry and Blaise were interrupted by the arrival of the rest of his specialized group and Harry was forced to get back to work. His mind wasn't entirely in it tonight. He was thinking about what may happen later. He had an excuse to go visit the Dark Lord after this, he needed to know that Mirage was starting to let his followers in on the charade. While he didn't think Blaise was the betrayer, he knew things had gone just a touch too smoothly, the other shoe had to drop eventually.

He watched the match set up between Neville and Draco absently, when normally this would have been a highlight of the evening. It was rare that one of the Darklings was up against one in Harry's Light course. It was even more interesting when you noted that Neville was holding out against the onslaught, and Draco wasn't holding back. Harry had been right again, there had been more to Neville than a bumbling boy who loved plants and hated cauldrons. He was strong and tough, what he lacked in finesse he made up for with effort. Draco was so used to winning without exerting himself that meeting an opponent like Neville brought him up short. By the end of the fight Draco was covered in sweat and panting heavily, while Neville still had a grin on his face, stamina being another of his skills.

It ended in a draw just as the time came to end the lesson entirely, Harry eagerly rushed then out of the room. Not allowing them their usual socializing time. It had been entirely too long since he had spent quality time with his lover, the last being when the concocted the plan to have Deatheaters in Hogwarts. As soon as the last student left Harry was gripping the band and sending himself to his lover's side.

The sight of Voldemort curled up on a couch with a book in his hand and a fire in the hearth had Harry grinning and pouncing on him. He allowed enough time for Voldemort to realize it was indeed Mirage on top of him before claiming the Dark Lord's lips in a deep kiss. Teasing and toying with tongue and teeth. Feeling the firm body below him respond heatedly to his touch.

"_What brings you here my Venomous Lion?" _Voldemort asked when they were forced to come up for air, it was in private he felt no need to use English when Parseltongue was far more intoxicating.

Mirage grinned lazily, _"I wanted to see you, I had an excuse, so I came." _The hissing language made both their bodies tense and heat with a pleasurable burn.

"_Oh, and just what was the excuse?" _The Dark Lord inquired before leaning up for another kiss, thereby delaying the answer.

Mirage didn't want to stop to give the answer until he was good and ready, taking his time with the kiss before giving in. _"I decided to let a General of mine in on the infiltration plan, he is only aware of the first stage, nothing beyond that. I trust him, but that particular lesson is not an easy one to forget." _

"_You are wise to hold back. It is too soon for the full plan to be spoken. Let the betrayers hang themselves on crumbs first." _Voldemort approved teasing his lover with exploring touches in sensitive areas. The two didn't get a lot of time together, business and intimacy were often intertwined.

"_I thought you would approve," _Mirage's hissing was overcast with pleasure, both at the compliment and the touches.

He couldn't hold back anymore. Lifting himself up slightly his hands found the buttons on his lover's robe. Deciding a slow seduction was beyond his control right now, he settled for a smooth and steady progression of removal, glad that at least the night wear was only one layer thick and he was skin to skin as soon as the button was released. He felt nimble fingers reach up to his own clothing and not long after naked flesh was pressed against naked flash, their arousal evident and straining between them.

Harry kissed his way up his lovers abdomen, feeling the tight abs tense and flutter under the feather light touches, as those long strong arms wrapped around him holding him securely in his ministrations. He paused to give the erect nipples a tongue bath while reaching down to the most sensitive part of Voldemort's body, teasing and tempting with his hand as his mouth worked on his torso and neck after leaving both nipples hard and wet.

Voldemort was groaning deeply, he wasn't loud in his calling, but Harry preferred it that way. His lover's cries during intimate moments were just for the two of them.

Knowing neither of them were going to last long Mirage presented the hand that was not toying with his lower regions to Voldemort's mouth. It didn't take long before they were moving to their personal rhythm, enjoying the feeling of joining so deeply together. The end didn't come as swiftly as Harry expected, both of them encouraging a slower more prolonging pace, just to extend the time they were completing each other.

That end wasn't the last of the evening. By the time Mirage forced himself away from the manor and back to Hogwarts he was thoroughly satied, ready for sleep, and smiling softly as the remembered look of pure contentment he had left on Voldemort's face as he had chivalrously tucked him into bed. Mirage loved that his lover allowed him to do those little romantic things for him, to know that out of everyone around their Lord, it was Harry who made Voldemort have that expression. Dark Lord or not, Voldemort was still human, and the affection Mirage showered on him was something he could feel himself getting used to. Exclusive or not, their relationship ran deeper than bed mates, it was the moments before and after those encounters that showed when they were in love and when they simply cared.

For them it was a beautiful arrangement and both fell asleep with smiles on their faces, despite the fact that both were hardened soldiers with blood stained hands. When it was just the two of them, instead of being defined by their sins, it was simply another aspect of why they fit together so completely. They would fight, they would seek comfort elsewhere, but in the end it would be in each others arms that the world would feel right again. Was that really so wrong?


	35. If I Don't Belong

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**A/N **Guess what? We have finally gotten to the point all the main players in the story have been at least mentioned. That means I am out of the set up chapters and into the meat of the story. Pairings, loyalties, and alliances will be happening rapidly from here. I plan on having this story last through the end of Harry's sixth year, possibly a bit beyond that. As far as how many chapters that will be that depends on how much filler I feel like adding in the updates. I like action stories, but some depth to the characters doesn't hurt.

**Chapter Thirty-Five**

**If I Don't Belong**

(Never Too Late-Three Days Grace)

Harry was glad when Halloween came to Hogwarts again. This day used to hold nothing but bad memories for him, but this year would be different. His Darklings would be invading Hell's Paradise. For many of the non-Slytherins this would be their first trip, but Harry couldn't wait to return. Things in his life had gotten so hectic at this point he wanted to simply relax and let go for a little while. The strain of keeping a constant shield on his Essence ate at his endurance. He found himself dangerously close to loosing his temper, even with his recent visit to his lover. He needed a release. The club could give that to him.

"Are you ready to go Neville?" Harry asked, looking over to find his dorm mate after finishing his own preparations.

Neville slowly came out of the boy's bathroom, looking a tad bit like his former nervous self in that moment. "What do you think Harry?"

Neville had chosen to wear blood red, a hug the body like a second skin red shirt to be exact, he wore a simple pair of loose black trousers that let the shirt be the focal point of the outfit. His brown hair was loose and shaggy. He looked good, really good.

"You look great, whoever you're trying to impress will love it!" Harry reassured him, knowing that's what Neville needed. He hadn't asked for an opinion on his wardrobe since the first time the two had gone to Hell's Paradise together.

Neville looked a bit sheepish at that, he spoke hesitantly when he finally managed to force the words out. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that actually."

Harry raised an eyebrow at him, "Oh, what about?" He had his suspicions, but had no intentions of making it easy for Neville. The shy Gryffindor needed a few shoves in the right direction if he was ever going to get out of his shell like Harry had, even if it was only around friends.

"Well you know when I talked to you in fourth year, how you said you had been dating Draco?" Neville asked, giving Harry's suspicions a little more weight.

"Yes, I remember." He replied keeping his tone neutral, Harry wanted to hear this without prompting.

Finally Neville realized what Harry was waiting for, and just spit it out, "Well I kinda like him and I wanted to ask him out, would you be mad at me?"

Neville was not prepared for the laughter that followed that question, he was afraid he had screwed up royally until Harry managed to compose himself. "Neville, I broke up with him, not the other way around. Draco is a very good friend now, and I won't say I have absolutely no interest in him, but if you want to ask him out go ahead. Draco and I had our chance, and nothing has changed since we broke up that would make it work now. You two would be good together, I can see that, so don't be shy and ask him already. You have my blessing."

Neville treated the partner to the Dark Lord with a beaming smile. "Thank you, I had hoped you would say something like that, but it didn't feel right to ask him without talking to you first. I know he is important to you. Now is your other half going to make an appearance tonight?"

"I don't know to be honest. He knows we are headed out tonight in a larger group. I can pretty much guarantee if he isn't than one of the inner circle will be, he will want to keep an eye on the situation. He might be busy though, its traditional to have a raid on Halloween, it is the night when nightmares come to life after all." Neville got a bit nervous when Harry's last sentence was said with a wicked smile, he knew he wasn't talking to Harry anymore but Mirage.

"I know better than to ask anymore, you wouldn't be able to answer, now shouldn't we be heading down? Hermione is probably waiting for us by now." Neville responded, he was slowly getting used to Harry's personality switches, though it could be a bit jarring in situations like this where it was just Harry and Neville. It was easy to forget just how deeply Harry had fallen to the darkness already. The terrifying part to Neville was he knew Harry was not done changing yet, he would keep going until he achieved his goal of completely eradicating anything to do with the Light side in himself.

"You're right, let's go. I want to get to Hell's Paradise as soon as possible, I really need a night out." Harry agreed, not entirely unaware of the turmoil he had thrown Neville into, but it was better Neville confront the truth now when there was still time to get used to it, he would be all the stronger for it when the battle got closer to home.

Neville's prediction proved true, Hermione was waiting for them in the common room. Unlike the boys she had her cloak on preventing Harry from seeing what she was wearing. All he could tell was she had managed to wrestle herself into a pair of skinny jeans. He knew it would be worth the effort, but for now he could wait and see, there was someone else with their eye on Hermione, this might just push them over the edge.

"Lets go, they won't wait for us forever, and I don't feel like irritating Severus by asking to use his floo instead of the one set up for this." Yes, Harry was that desperate to go out he would bug his mentor into letting him use his personal floo, but he would avoid that if at all possible.

The other two didn't have a response to that, they were both excited for their own reasons. The trip to the Slytherin common room was long but by now familiar, as they had been traveling back and forth quite a bit this year. Before they reached the entrance the small group of Harry's non-Slytherin Darklings had gathered as well. Draco and Pansy had flat out refused to give the password to that many outsiders, thus they were stuck outside until Harry arrived to open the door. Neville and Hermione didn't even know it.

Harry made sure the group of students was far enough back they couldn't hear, before whispering the password to the common room, then leading the group inside. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming after all." Pansy told him when she caught sight of him and his entourage.

"You know I wouldn't miss this, I need it badly," Harry admitted for the second time that evening. He couldn't stress it enough. This was one time he better not be interrupted before he got what he wanted.

"Just a little longer, we need to set some ground rules for tonight," Pansy reassured him, knowing the strain he was under, but this was necessary. She turned to the group of 15 students gathered around them, "Listen up, for those of you going for the first time, remember this club is by no means Light oriented. If you do manage to get yourself alcohol remember to keep your wits about you. We haven't had any problems here before, but that doesn't mean there won't be and such a large group of minors will attract some attention." Pansy didn't mention that they had two people with incredibly strong Essences with them that would be bringing in even more attention, they had never seen either Harry or Draco without any shields. "Now we will not be babysitting you, but we will be available if you do run into trouble, and we will all leave together just like we will be arriving. Floo powder is above the mantel so get going and remember to enjoy yourself."

The ones who had gone before took the lead, but Harry paused even with his impatience when he noticed Pansy putting a hand on Hermione's shoulder to hold her back, he heard the soft whisper spoken into Hermione's ear due to proximity. "Hermione you need to stay next to me, Draco, Theodore, or Harry while we are there. You are going to be the most vulnerable as you are a known muggleborn and as a female you don't have the Essence yet to prove you are on the Dark side."

Hermione tensed a bit at hearing this, "So I'm going to be a target there?"

Harry stepped in, not being able to stop himself despite knowing Pansy could have answered just as well, "No, all she is saying is you need to stick near us so you won't become one. I realize you haven't been exposed to the Dark side outside of school but it isn't like what we have shoved down our throat by Dumbledore. You won't immediately be in danger just for your blood, but you will be watched until they know which side of the coin you fall on, a muggleborn in a Dark oriented club will be noticed and be suspected of spying. Once they see us with you though they will know you do not pose a threat and will leave you alone.

"Why only those four? I understand that you're my friends, but so are the others going." Hermione wasn't taking another step towards that floo until she knew it was safe to do so.

Pansy took the conversation back under her control and answered, "We are the ones that have been seen at Hell's Paradise enough before they know what side we are on, Draco, Harry, and Theodore all have strong Essences that would help ward anyone not familiar with us away. As for me I'm a Parkinson, unlike Blaise my family has always been Dark, they know I will have the Essence as soon as my body finishes developing, so you are safe with me too."

"Come on Hermione, I warned you when you made your choice that there was going to be danger, this is the least of the trials ahead of you. Lets go and have fun, next trip or the one after you can be around whoever you want." Harry was getting to the end of his patience. He understood her reluctance to a point, but no matter how well she did in lessons, if she couldn't even face going to a club where the only threat would come from people simply worried about their own safety how did she expect to walk into a Death Eater meeting when they had much more at stake in trusting her?

Hermione reluctantly walked over to the fireplace and grabbed a handful of floo powder, "You're right Harry, I'm not sure about taking risks I don't have to, but this sounds like it could be really fun. It's not like I wasn't planning on sticking around you guys most of the time anyway." With that she whisked herself off to the club, where Draco would be waiting for them.

"Thanks Harry, for a minute there I was afraid she wouldn't come." Pansy said gratefully.

"She needs to get used to being around the Dark side, what waits at Hell's Paradise is nothing compared to a meeting. I think I may be using too soft a touch in my lessons, I don't think she realizes that tonight the most dangerous person in that club will most likely be me, unless my Partner shows up but I doubt he will." Harry was itching to get to the floo by now, but he owed one of his oldest friends a few minutes of his time.

Pansy sighed a bit, "It's not your fault. You rescued her Harry, both in first year and in fourth, she sees you as her savior and friend, not the leader you really are. She sees the Darkness as the shadow of the Light, a maligned misunderstood part of the greater good. She will have to come to terms with the fact we are not the shadow of the Light, but it's complete opposite. With your responsibilities you have to go further away from what is considered 'good' by the majority of the magical world, those of us raised in the Dark understand this already. She will in time, but she will need help to get there."

"I take it you want to be the one to show her the truth?" Harry teased to let her know that yes he had heard, but didn't want to continue talking about it.

Pansy smirked, "Oh I intend to, she is a very interesting person. I want to see what happens when she finally understands what all of this means."

Harry matched her smirk, "And wanting to see what she is hiding under that cloak has nothing to do with it right?"

"Of course not." She replied with an arrogant air that was so obviously fake Harry couldn't help but laugh.

"Alright, well then we better go so you can find out and I can let loose a little. I can feel my teeth rattling it's gotten so bad holding this damn shield." Harry was finally able to toss the floo powder into the fire and go towards his sweet release.

A/N As a warning the next chapter will include citrus between Harry and a partner other than Voldemort. Anyone care to hazard a guess who it will be? (This is not a poll, I already know who it will be, I'm curious to see how good my foreshadowing skills are by seeing how many of you guess correctly)


	36. I Like Crazy, Stupid, Foolish

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

****A/N there is new information, as well as a new poll in my profile if you have a few minutes please check it out, thank you.

**Chapter Thirty-Six**

**I Like Crazy, Foolish, Stupid**

(Flo Rida ft Sia-Wild Ones)

Harry stepped into Hell's Paradise and for the first time in weeks he could draw a full breath as he gratefully released his hold on his shield. His Essence sprang free from him, flooding the building, causing several sets of cautious eyes to lift and see who was entering. At the sight of the now familiar Mirage, and not his older more terrifying partner, the glances turned back to their partner and Harry advanced into the crowd without fuss.

"Harry if you were a cat, you'd be purring," Draco teased as the blonde Slytherin flanked him, copying his move in releasing his own shield.

Harry sent a withering glare at Draco, "You can't tell me it doesn't feel good to not have to hold your shield any more, none of you have any idea what its like to only tease your magic and not really use it like I do in classes." It was here amongst friends and comrades that Harry became Mirage and his confidence grew exponentially.

Neville bumped into his shoulder on Harry's other side, "It's not our fault you're like the second coming of Merlin."

"I'm not! That's the Dark Lord." Harry protested.

Draco rolled his eyes, "Oh please, we all know the truth here, if he is than so are you." Mirage and Lord Voldemort were partners, equals on the battlefield, and every Death Eater marked or not had better know that.

Hermione spoke up from where she was sandwiched between Pansy and Draco, "Harry are you really that strong?"

Pansy answered her, "Don't ask, feel, you know both Harry and Draco enough to tell their Essence apart. How much of it is coming from him?"

It wasn't easy. Draco and Harry were standing closely together, and the sheer amount of Essence made the task difficult, but there were subtle differences between the two. Draco's was colder and smooth, like ice, it flowed and rippled around him, brushing against her senses with every pulse of his heart. Harry's was harder to pin down just because there was so much of it she had mistaken most of it for the general atmosphere of the club, but his was deeper and richer than Draco's, and it didn't pulse, instead it was a smooth wave, caressing the skin and enticing the senses.

"Bloody Hell Harry," That was the first time most of them had ever heard Hermione swear, it caused a predatory grin to form on Pansy's face.

"Hermione, we are all strong capable fighters, the Dark forces are numerous and well trained, but they follow Mirage's commands when he gives them. The only person that outranks him is the Dark Lord. You didn't think we would all do that for a boy whose only claim to power was that he got lucky as baby did you?" Pansy explained, seeing the look of slight embarrassment cross Harry's face as she spoke of the loyalty he commanded.

Draco picked up where Pansy trailed off, "The two of them have dueled you know, Mirage and the Dark Lord, no one else can last more than ten minutes with the Dark Lord, Mirage can go hours."

Harry himself spoke up, now that Hermione looked shell shocked and unsure whether or not she should bolt, "You've seen me work Hermione, I haven't shown you everything, but I thought you would have seen enough to know I am not just grandstanding about the goals I have. The Dark side is going to win Hermione, we are going to crush the Light, and we can't afford to be gentle, Merlin knows they won't be. You knew I was powerful, now would be a good time to work on understanding what that truly means." Harry made himself walk away from her then, he knew it would be taken as cruel by her, but she had to learn to stand on her own. She was powerful and smart, but spent far too much time in books, she needed to apply her knowledge to the real world or it wasn't going to help her one little bit.

Pansy put her hand on Hermione's shoulder, "He really is the second most powerful person on our side Hermione. He still has confidence issues, it wasn't too horribly long ago that he was afraid of his own shadow, but if he really wanted to, he could level this club and everyone in it without breaking a sweat. The fact that he chooses not to should tell you the Dark side is both more and less than what you have been told and taught. We are more powerful and better positioned than the Light wants you to know, and less bloodthirsty and vicious than they want you to believe. Mirage is the perfect example of that."

Hermione paled slightly, but took a deep breath to steady herself, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, I just, well, we've known each other so long. It's hard to believe the shy little first year that saved me from a troll is really this dark and terrifying person."

"Stop that right now," Pansy reprimanded, watching Draco and Neville melt into the crowd around them, letting the two girls talk. "This is still Harry, he is the same boy, this is just what he should have been all along. He is only terrifying to his enemies, to his friends he will protect us with everything he has. He isn't a person you need to fear, but a little respect would be a good thing, I will tell you one thing I would rather back him up and be on this side of his wand, rather than against him and face his wrath. Quit living in a memory and get to know the man he is becoming, you will be rewarded. Now can I ask you something?"

Hermione was shocked into a short laugh, "After everything you just said, did you really have to ask permission, go ahead and ask."

"What are you hiding under that cloak?" She asked with a teasing grin, "We have said all the serious things we can take for one evening, let's have some fun."

Hermione blushed at the tease, readily agreeing to leave the serious discussion behind for now. Slowly she reached up and started undoing the buttons on her cloak. More than a few people glanced her way as the black fabric came off revealing tan skin and royal blue. What Hermione was wearing barely qualified as a shirt, the material was slinky and damn near see through, and only the front of her was covered, it was held on with a halter strap going around her neck and a few ties at her back. With her hair pulled back into a pony tail and light make-up Hermione looked good, really, really good.

Pansy felt her mouth go dry, Hermione had interested her before, but damn did that bookworm hide a body under her uniform. "It's a crime we have to wear uniforms at Hogwarts," She recovered, replacing the grin on her face. "You were certainly holding out on us," Pansy looked down at her own pink tank top, and realized the muggleborn looked better tonight.

"You don't look too bad yourself," Hermione responded, flushing at Pansy's words. "You want to go dance now?" She asked shyly.

"Of course," Pansy responded brightly, turning towards the dance floor, only to pause and give a light giggle, "Ah Hermione, look out on the dance floor, to the left and in the back, what do you see?"

Hermione looked where Pansy had pointed out and found her eyes widening and she laughed along with Pansy. Neville and Draco weren't dancing, they had forgotten there was even music playing at all. Instead the blonde haired Slytherin had his arms wrapped possessively around the brunette Gryffindor, mouths locked in a heated kiss. "Looks like Neville is a true Gryffindor after all, he has liked Draco for a long time now, but didn't want to say anything in case he upset Harry."

"Well looks like they have everything worked out now." Pansy assessed, "That is a good match up, a bit surprising, but it will be good for them."

"Neville needs the confidence boost, Draco needs someone he can take care of," Hermione agreed. "Now let's get to that dance, I managed enough courage to get here, might as well have fun."

"Let's go," Pansy agreed, dragging her in to the crowd, leaving Hermione's cloak with the others in the designated area by the door. This was the kind of place if you were dumb enough to steal a clock or anything inside, you could deal with the various wards and traps laid around them yourself, and they wouldn't be pleasant.

Across the room from the girls, and not too far from Draco and Neville, Harry had finally tracked down their extra bodyguard for the evening. "I knew you enjoyed danger, but isn't this pushing it a little?" He asked the tall Death Eater, as they leaned against the bar, the elder nursing a small glass of Firewhiskey.

Harry was treated to a smirking grin, "What danger am I in? If something goes wrong I have the second in command right here to save my neck." The overly happy Death Eater drained a little more of his glass after he spoke, it felt good to get out in public every once in awhile, his brother and sister-in-law were still stuck at the manor he had a little more freedom. In addition, his face had been splashed in a few less newspapers than his more famous brother that made him a little safer.

Mirage huffed, "Right, I thought you were my backup not the other way around Rabastan."

"I am, but that doesn't mean I am unaware that if things go south I am to follow you." Rabastan replied with a shrug, finishing off the glass, now feeling nicely warm, but not even close to drunk. There wasn't much to do at the manor other than training during the day and drinking in the evenings. "So how goes training the mini-soldiers?" He teased.

"Cedric has most of Hufflepuff listening to him, they are starting to show some back-bone in class, even with Umbridge. Terry has the Ravenclaws thinking about the war, not the old history, but what's happening right now. They are tracking down every news article and book written in the last five years to try and understand what is going on politically and educationally. Draco, Blaise, Theodore, and Pansy have always had the Slytherins under control, most of them have the Essence by now, we are preparing them to fight their way out if Dumbledore finds a way to harass those that carry the Dark Essence. Which as it stand he can't even detect a fully trained and Marked Death Eater, how is he going to pin down the Essence? Neville, Hermione, and I are keeping the Gryffindors from exploding like a powder keg. Ron Weasley caused a lot of damage before I grew up enough to rein him in. We are working to fix the damage but it is slow going." Harry began his explanation with his Generals, he was proud of their progress, that was a lot to have covered in the two months they had been back at Hogwarts.

"Do those students know who their orders are coming from?" Rabastan asked interestedly, Mirage was truly remarkable when he set his mind to something.

A dark grin spread across Mirage's face, giving Rabastan a glimpse of the allure the young man held over their Lord. "If they are smart enough to put it together, than yes they know, but have I told them outright? No. Terry and Cedric are new to my group of Generals, I am still testing their loyalties. If they do go running to the Light all they will have is suspicion and heresy, and with the Dark resources that is easy to quash, they caught Lucius red-handed and he is still free. Plus they proved their youth, if they are spies, they should have noticed something about the wording in their oaths, there was no time limit, so if they knowingly spill my secrets to the Light, they forfeit their magic whether its tomorrow or fifty years from now."

"You make our Lord very proud," Rabastan replied after hearing his explanation.

Harry by now was bored of business, the release of his shield had calmed him a bit, but he was still feeling highly strung, he needed a nice release, but if his lover was on a raid that option was out. He sent a speculative glance at the youngest Lestrange, he was attractive physically and had a Dark enough Essence to intrigue him, what could it hurt? "So are you here merely on business, or do I need to start feeding you more liquor to get you on the dance floor."

Rabastan found himself slightly shocked at the blatant offer, "I won't end up dead at the end of our Lord's wand?"

Mirage's gaze hardened at the thought, "He better not even think about it, I have it on good authority he has Lucius and Severus warm his bed when I am not there, we have an agreement as far as it goes. We don't control the other, we do what we please with who we chose, and as long as nobody starts lying about it we are fine."

"You really don't have a problem with him seeing others, or him with you doing the same?" Rabastan found that odd for how powerful the two men were, usually power and possessiveness came hand in hand.

Mirage's smile grew more genuine and less frightening, "Maybe in a decade or two when the wildfire burns out of our veins, but you have to understand something about the two of us. We need a release, our magic runs too strongly to keep chained for long, dueling helps, but so does pleasurable release. I love him, and I think he loves me, but I am fifteen, and he is newly young again, we are going to need to seek release elsewhere every once and awhile or we with snuff each other out, and that isn't what we want. The fire needs to settle not go out completely." He explained, figuring the only chance he had at release this evening would only go along with it if he knew he wouldn't be barbequed slowly over an open flame by a jealous Dark Lord.

"In that case, lead the way Mirage," Rabastan accepted, following the lithe young man with killing curse green eyes onto the dark and smoky dance floor.

Harry clung to the taller form, feeling he was taller than their Lord, but slimmer with a tad less muscle. He wasn't in the mood to lead, so he gave that right over to Rabastan. The beat was pounding and deep, the singer's voice combining with the melody in a deeply throbbing harmony. Mirage sank into the music and the feel of the body pressed against him, missing the spark of Parseltongue, but Rabastan wasn't a bad dancer so he let himself relax into the hold.

It started with a languid kiss, a simple joining of lips. They progressed rapidly from there, combining tongue and teeth with strong holds on shoulders and backs. Mirage was looking for something harsher and Darker after so long pressed into the Light, and Rabastan was more than willing to follow along with that desire. Rabastan might be leading the dance, but Mirage was leading the pleasure, it felt amazing after so long tucked away in the manor with little company.

Harry fisted his hands in the shoulder length brown hair pulling him deeper into their kiss. Hazel eyes closed in pleasure a few moments before green followed suit. Mirage wanted more, so much more, a thought occurred to him that would have made the old Harry blush like a virgin, but Mirage was practically purring at the thought. As carefully as he could he started steering them towards the restrooms at the back of the bar. They only broke their kiss to breath, and take an occasional glance around to make sure they weren't about to knock anyone over.

Harry's trusted ones could keep watch for a while, he thought as he locked the door behind them and pressed the elder man against the wall. Attacking his mouth viciously. No one could break through his locking charms, with one exception, and seeing as how he was busy right now, they wouldn't be interrupted until they were good and ready to come out.

Buttons and fasteners didn't last long under the onslaught, as all discretion left Mirage, and any fear of being brutally murdered left Rabastan. Preparation was quickly taken care of, as a whispered spell took care of the need for lube. "Ready?" Mirage asked, waiting long enough for the affirmative nod before claiming the elder man.

It was fast, it was hard, and it was just what Mirage needed. Twenty minutes after entering the pair excited the bathroom after refreshing and cleaning charms had been applied, both powerful wizards looked thoroughly satisfied.

Draco caught sight of Harry leaving with his Uncles brother, and a sly smirk crossed his face, Neville catching sight of the expression, "What caught your eye?" The Gryffindor asked his dance partner and new boyfriend.

"Well, I can tell you Harry will be in a good mood for awhile anyway." Draco responded drily, "He looked a little too happy just now."

Neville looked towards where Draco was gesturing too and saw Harry dancing provocatively with a tall brown haired man, "Who is that, I take it he's one of our side?"

Draco nodded, pulling Neville tighter, in a way Harry hadn't let him, "Yes he's one of ours, he's um well, you may not like this." Draco had realized just who he was talking to, and what his crazy aunt had done to his family.

Neville felt Draco's body tense with worry, and the uncharacteristic stumble in his words. After seeing Voldemort in person there were only a handful of others Draco would be scared to tell Neville about, and seeing how he could never forget Bellatrix or Rodolphus, that left very little. "Is he a Lestrange? Rabastan probably, I would know Rodolphus." Neville asked quietly.

"That is Rabastan, you are right, are you going to be all right?" Draco asked the shy boy worriedly, wishing the bodyguard for the night had been anyone else.

Neville took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "I can never forgive Bellatrix, she taunted as she cursed my parents, but I knew when I chose Harry over the Light that I would be running into the Lestranges at some point. If Harry can fall in love with the person who killed his parents, I can handle the ones who hurt mine. Harry told me once I don't have to like everyone on the Dark side, as he doesn't, so I am still with Harry, just don't ask me to be all friendly with them."

Draco was so proud he could burst, "I can't pretend to know what it is like to make that kind of choice, I have always been on this side and they have treated me well, but thank you for choosing Harry over the past. He appreciates it, and so do I," Draco sealed his speech with an affectionate kiss to Neville's temple.

Theo and Blaise watched the exchange between Draco and Neville happily as they danced informally together. The two quiet males had taken to watching over the various budding relationships going on in their tight circle of friends, a glance to their right gave them an interesting sight. Pansy and Hermione dancing closely together, the shy bookworm and the vain Slytherin complimented each other well as they moved together.

"Well Blaise, seems everyone around us has spring fever and its only the end of October," Theo commented.

Blaise nodded, his hair bouncing on his shoulders, "War is coming, we all know the battles will be hard, I think people are enjoying each other while they can, even if they don't completely realize why they are doing it."

Theo contemplated that for a few moments, "What happens when the battles are over? We might lose people yes, but some of us will make it. Do you think they might regret it later?"

Blaise looked at the various couples dancing around them, landing once more on Pansy and Hermione, who were both smiling and laughing as they danced, "No, there might be a few tears and a broken heart or two later, but they are happy and excited for once while enjoying each other. Happiness is not something that should be regretted, even if it doesn't last forever."

Theodore looked around and saw what Blaise had pointed out, nodding in agreement, "You're right, I shouldn't have been worried about it."

"It's okay to be worried, just don't let that stop you from having fun while you can," Blaise responded, shrugging off his apology.

"All right, that makes sense," Theo replied with a slight smile. Blaise and him had been friends for a long time, but nothing had happened beyond casual flirting ,they both had their eye on someone and were waiting for the right time to say something.

So what could have been a lead on just became a night of dancing and laughter, the groups occasionally meeting up and having fun together. All in all it was a good night, and when everyone managed to return to Hogwarts all in one piece, smiles and random laughter was running rampant.

They could all agree. They really needed the night out.


	37. Let's Watch It Burn

**A Touch of Evil**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Thirty-Seven**

**Let's Watch It Burn**

(City-Hollywood Undead)

"Harry, we need to talk," Terry spoke softly, his voice barely registering above the din of the other students preparing their breakfasts.

Harry looked up at him from his seat between Neville and Hermione, a glance at Neville had the Gryffindor boy sliding down a spot, leaving room for the Ravenclaw to join them. "What's wrong Terry?" Mirage knew his general was smart enough to avoid too many public meetings if it wasn't absolutely necessary.

Terry shook his head slightly, first tapping his throat, then his wand, silently asking if there was a ward up making it safe for him to talk. A slight nod from Harry had him finally speaking, "My house is getting suspicious about you." He started, "In the past few years it was noticed that you had been making steady progress in your classes, as well as reaching out to people in other houses, especially Slytherin. This year though, you've fallen back to the shadows. The oddity is getting talked about, definitely in Ravenclaw and probably in the others too. I know you don't want to reveal too much too fast, but you may want to start acting more like you did last year. You are drawing more attention to yourself by falling back, than if you had continued to make steady progress."

"So that's why you came over now," Harry stated, realizing the truth. "You think it would be a good thing for me to be seen talking to people in other houses. I had thought I might be laying the act on a little too thick, you just confirmed it."

Hermione added in her opinion, "I agree with Terry, while it is good to not show everything, you are holding back too much. Maybe pick a few classes that you could start excelling in, make your progress realistic. If Dumbledore finds a way to question you, the truthful response would be you are getting serious in preparing for the war. You won't be on the side he thinks you will be on, but you would be preparing for the war."

"If Dumbledore found a way to question Harry, he wouldn't ask open ended questions. He is too smart for that. He would ask specific questions, like 'which side are you on?' and 'who are you working for?' That last one Mirage may be able to work around, he is working with someone not for someone, but it would still be too close to be sure of success." Neville's voice joined in the conversation, much stronger than Terry ever remembered hearing the timid Gryffindor. Mirage was not the only Gryffindor with a mask.

Harry weighed what they were saying, and realizing they were right, agreed with them. "All right, I see your points. I have gone too far. Thanks for warning me, that's why I wanted people I trust working with me. I think Hermione's plan could work; any suggestions for which classes? Neville is right, I doubt I could fool Dumbledore, but at this point it's his spies I need to fool, not him."

"Try Transfiguration, and Charms, both would be useful in the war adding to your cover, and it would get you some wiggle room with those teachers. Potions or Defense would be a little to dangerous, you are supposed to be opposing Umbridge not buttering up to her, and Snape is too Dark for Dumbledore to allow you much closeness with him. I would go with middle of the road or slightly above average in his class. Don't explode a cauldron trying to put distance between you, because that could hurt someone, but don't be outstanding either." Terry advised, not prepared for the smooth chuckle Harry couldn't stop from escaping.

"No problem following that order in Potions, middle of the road is about the best I can do. With a partner like Draco I pass fairly well, but Potions is an art I'm just not very good at, amount of power doesn't matter much in that class. I agree with keeping a low profile in Defense, I already have an agreement with Umbridge, and changing how I act around her at this point would attract more attention than it would deflect. I am good at Charms, I haven't let myself slide much in that class this year, Flitwik would notice that. I can put more effort in and it would make him happy, not to mention more willing to listen to me when the time comes. Transfiguration doesn't interest me much, but it does make sense that I would work harder in more than just one class, so I can steadily progress in there. If Dumbledore thinks I'm sucking up to McGonagall, she is one of the ones in his pocket, he will feel more secure in my being in his control still. It could buy us more time to get sorted through the students, see who has potential." He planned aloud, giving these three access to information the others didn't. If there was a betrayer on his side, he was going to narrow down the information leak, after all a spy couldn't reveal what they didn't know. He could find out what information was getting to the other side, and find the betrayer before the truly deadly secrets started coming out.

"Speaking of Umbridge," Terry couldn't hold his curiosity in any longer, and since Harry seemed to be in an agreeable mood, he decided it was as good a time as any to ask his question. "How is the Inquisitorial squad doing? I have seen a lot of new faces at the meetings but don't know if they are from the interviews or because their friends dragged them." Harry had only allowed his Slytherin Generals in the Inquisitorial squad. It would be hard enough keeping his own involvement from Dumbledore, if all his high-ranking officers were involved someone was bound to slip up.

"We just started going through the Sixth years, all the Seventh years are done, and a handful of third through fifth years have come to Madame Pomfrey to get treated and were referred to us. The younger students are still too scared to come forward on their own, but I was expecting that." Harry informed him. "Most of the new faces are my doing. Any of the students I think have potential are given a note for a private meeting. I talk to them and explain some of what's going on, and more importantly that there is a place they can go to learn how to fight back. Once they join the main meeting I keep watching for any sign of the Essence, once I see that, I will go from there."

"When do you want to start training the newly found Dark ones?" He asked.

Harry's eyes narrowed, that was very sensitive information, and trust had only been built so far with his newly recruited Generals, he would have to settle for a less definite answer, "When they are ready. I won't risk the whole plan by getting too far ahead of myself. It won't be all at once, they will be added into the specialized lessons slowly."

Terry nodded, "Makes sense, well I have to head to class, see you later." He excused himself when he realized their time was almost up if he wanted to make it to his first lass on time, there were too many staircases between him and Charms.

"You made a good choice with him," Neville observed as the Ravenclaw retreated.

"I know, I really hadn't thought of that before. My partner has proven that you need good people working with you to succeed, as long as they listen when you order, they are worth the occasional aggravation." Mirage agreed.

"Careful Harry, you aren't sounding like yourself right now, that was Mirage talking. You are supposed to be revealing yourself slowly." Hermione reminded as the Darker personality came to the surface. Terry was a friend to Harry, but to Mirage he was a follower; just like the Death Eaters were to the Dark Lord.

"You realize you just contradicted yourself right? Mirage and Harry are both me, Mirage even more so, but I get what you meant. I'll tone it down once I take the ward down. Do you two think his class suggestions were the right ones?" They did make sense, but another opinion wouldn't hurt.

"Yes, it would give you a solid cover, and you are good enough in those classes it wouldn't be too much effort to excel in them with everything else going on. It's probably taking more out of you to perform lower, it would make holding your shield easier if you did tougher magic more often." Hermione analyzed.

Neville made a sound of agreement, "I don't know what is like to hold a shield like you do, but you have to admit it would be nice if you got to show off a little bit. No one will follow you if they don't have even a vague idea of how powerful you are."

"Why Neville, didn't know you had it in you, are you the shyest Gryffindor telling me, the Golden Boy, to show off?" Harry teased relaxing a bit with his friends around him.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Neville replied with a smirk almost as devilish as his blonde lover. "No matter if they are Dark or Light, the students and teachers have been expecting a lot from the Boy Who Lived. Give them the show they are looking for. The Dark ones will feel your Essence, the Light ones will see your power, you will have both hanging off you if you play your cards right."

"We're almost late for Potions. We'd better get going," Hermione interjected when she realized how late it was getting to be.

The two boys followed her lead down to the dungeons. Harry had partnered with Neville for the current project. Between the two of them they managed not to blow something up, but Harry didn't think there would be any difficulty in keeping a low profile in this class. His best grades happened when he was paired with Draco, and there was extenuating circumstances involved there. Thanks to his work with Severus his theory had gotten solid, but his practical would never be Master level. Mirage was fine with that; he would rather fight than brew.

During the class he used the direct link Legilimency Severus had shown him to fill him in on the new plan. Mirage would be coming out to play, a little at a time, but the results would be interesting to say the least.

With that frame of mind, Harry through himself into the act in the weeks that followed. His grades climbed steadily in the classes they agreed on, and in his social life he started to publically mingle with the students in his Defense Club. Which proved to be a boon for Draco and Neville, they now had more excuses to spend time with each other since both boys were known friends of Harry.

It worked. Students suspicions steadily decreased, and their faith in the Boy Who Lived was steadily growing. So it wasn't any surprise that towards the end of November, Harry was asked to a meeting with Dumbledore.

He had been expecting the meeting, but not the person sitting with the Headmaster. Orange red hair, freckles, and an angry expression mostly covered the lingering confusion that filled Ron Weasley after the use of one too many Obliviates.

"I think we are overdue for a little chat Harry, don't you?" Dumbledore invited him into the room, motioning him to the chair next to Ron. Three steaming cups of tea were already poured and waiting for his arrival.

"Have I done something wrong Headmaster?" He spoke testily, his anger at the Headmaster hadn't lessoned in the last few weeks, it was publically known the Golden Boy was not happy with the leader of the Light.

Dumbledore settled back in his seat, lording over the two boys without making it too obvious that's what he was doing, "Now Harry, you are not accused of anything, can't I simply want to talk with one of my favorite students?"

"Not when you haven't so much as looked at me this year. What is it Dumbledore, you don't want to see the little boy you threw to the wolves?" Harry accused, pushing against the tethers holding him, he wanted to see how far he could go with Dumbledore.

Dumbledore looked affronted, "Where did you hear a thing like that? I placed you in the best place for you at the time, where your mother's blood dwells is where you will be the safest. I am grateful you escaped the Death Eaters sent your way, but had you not left, they would not have breached the wards."

Well what do you know, the old Bastard was trying to push more guilt onto him, too bad Mirage was passed that point. After all it really was his fault the Dursleys were dead, and he wasn't upset about it. Killing Vernon was one of his better memories of them when it was all said and done. Still, Dumbledore shouldn't know that, "Are you trying to say it's my fault they died?" He accused, with Ron present would the bastard admit it? 

"I'm not saying you killed them, but your blood connection fueled the wards protecting your home, with you gone that connection broke and the wards fell." He explained.

"Why don't you just say it's my fault and be done with all the games?" Harry demanded, honestly curious about this one, but he knew he wasn't likely to get an answer.

"No child should have to shoulder that burden," Dumbledore defended himself, causing Harry's rage to rise with the admission.

Harry knew exactly what to say to that, and he even got to let some of his anger out, "I am no child!"

"No you are not, and it's time you stopped acting like one. Now you are going to tell me where you were this summer, and what you have done to this boy. He has been suffering memory gaps and confusion, all after being sighted in your company, all symptoms of memory modification spells applied too closely together, a mistake no fully trained wizard would make. You are playing a game for adults with a child's impetuousness. If you keep fighting me, Harry people are going to get hurt. Good people, like the Weasleys and Hagrid. They have all helped you haven't they? Even when there was nothing in it for them." Dumbledore dropped the kindly old man act, instead taking on the role of powerful Headmaster, there was mask beneath mask with this man.

That was a bit of a relief it sounded like Dumbledore thought he was working alone, he could exploit that, "I will never trust you again. You admit to putting me with those creatures who aren't fit to call me family. They hurt me Dumbledore, they hit me, and starved me, and kept me locked away like some kind of vermin. I barely survived my last stay with them, and was well on my way to almost dying again until I got lucky and apparated away. You put already poured tea in front of me, knowing full well I know what truth serum is and how it is used. The Weasleys didn't do anything for me that wasn't returned back to them, I would have been proud to share my fame and money with them and they been true friends and stuck by me. No I came out of that camber bloodied and battered, with my good friend's body in my arms, and no one even helped me wash off. All I got was grief because a twelve year old couldn't stop a much older and stronger wizard, not to mention the Basilisk, in time to save their little girl. I am truly sorry Ginny died, but what about me? Why didn't anyone care about the blood on my hands? The nightmares that woke me of the pain of the Basilisks venom running through me?

"If no one believed my story, why didn't you just use a pensieve? Or Legilimency? There are ways of finding the truth, including lacing tea with truth serum, which I have no doubt you did that night too. You knew I was telling the truth, but you let them abandon me. Hagrid has always stood by me, and done mostly right by me. Yet you sent one of the most biased people to me that day. Slytherins took everything from him, his wand, his pets, his hope of a better future; of course he was going to fill my head with bad things about Slytherin. After all most abused children end up there, and you couldn't have that. You knew the only thing that could override the Sorting Hat's first placement, was a personal choice by the student.

"I know what you have done Dumbledore. You are only lucky I still have enough heart left to fight. I am not going to run away and hide, or go off on some quest to off the Dark Lord all by myself. You want me to fight, then you had better show me how." Harry made his point sharply, he stood quickly and was almost out of the office before turning to Ron, almost as an afterthought.

"What was done to him was nothing compared to his own crimes. I have not cast a single memory charm on him, but I am willing to bet the students he bullied had older siblings that could have done something to him. If you want to find the truth, I would start with his crimes and work your way out through them." He advised before leaving with a swish and flourish his mentor would be proud of.

He made it back to the Gryffindor dorms before bursting out in laughter. That was priceless, just priceless, he hoped the old Black Portrait was in residence at the time. He wanted to hear Dumbledore's reaction to his speech.

Yes Mirage was playing a game, but he knew exactly what he was doing, and his opponent better watch out, because he was about to be caught in trap of his own making.


End file.
